This morning I am reflecting on a few verses from Paul's letter to the Galatians 6:7-10 NIV:
[7] "Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. [8] Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. [9] Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. [10] Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers."
These verses explain a simple natural and spiritual principle, that of sowing and reaping. In the same way as the natural world so also in the spiritual world, the seeds we plant become plants that produce the same fruit as the seed that was planted. If we plant corn, we reap a harvest of corn. If we plant apple seeds, in time we reap a harvest of apples. However, if you didn't know what the plant or fruit looked like and were just given a kernel of corn, or an apple seed, you would have no idea what that seed would produce in the way of fruit.
This is what Paul is explaining in these verses, what the fruit of sowing to our flesh produces. Paul is helping us to identify what the fruit looks like, and it is not a beautiful fruit, but rather destruction. In the previous chapter Paul describes some of what sowing to the flesh looks like in the following verses - Gal 5 [19]"The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; [20] idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions [21] 21 and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like."
I would say that most of these acts of the flesh start out in a simpler form, primarily selfishness and self focus. We lose our way as we become focused on ourselves, and over time, that becomes our only concern. We slowly change the way we think, drawn deeper into the deception that self focus leads to happiness and life. Paul starts his statement with the simple invitation to throw off this deception, and recognize the truth. The problem with deception is that you don't know you are being deceived.
As member of the Body of Christ, we are called to help people who are deceived to see the truth. How we do this is most important, and the model we are given is to represent the ministry of Jesus. His approach was relationship, invitation, proclamation of the Kingdom of God, and demonstration of this Kingdom. He didn't hammer the lost with their sins, instead He related to them and showed them the truth of His words and the Kingdom, essentially revealing to them an alternative to how they have been living. He showed them a life that is actually filled with full life, joy, peace, happiness, fulfillment, significance and relationship with Him. These were not just words, but experiential reality in His presence.
As Paul says, sowing to please the (Holy) Spirit, leads to eternal life. Jesus said the following, "Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent." (John 17:3). In other words, sowing into our relationship with Him, is the path to eternal life. This is what we sow - time, communication, listening, obedience, love and affection. Paul adds, from the verses above, "doing good".
Today, I am encouraged to pay attention to what I am sowing in my life. To look at what I am valuing, what I am focused on, what I am giving my time and attention too. I desire to reap good fruit, fruit that will last. I need to be intentional in what I am sowing, for what we sow is directly related to what we reap. I desire eternal life, and that is found in relationship with Him.
Amen.
Tuesday, July 25, 2017
Monday, July 24, 2017
Sent to Proclaim, That They Might Hear and Believe
This morning I felt like I should read from Paul's letter to the Romans, which is such a great letter. Although a bit longer than his other letters, it lays out very clearly Paul's understanding of our faith and when reading it through, you can see the flow of His logic much clearer than if you just read parts.
Anyway, here are the verses I am reflecting upon today - Romans 10:9-15 NIV:
[9] "If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. [10] For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved. [11] As Scripture says, “Anyone who believes in him will never be put to shame.” [12] For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile---the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, [13] for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
[14] "How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? [15] And how can anyone preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!”
These verses come from a section where Paul starts reflecting on the fact that not all the Jews (Israelites is what Paul calls them) accepted Jesus. He is reflecting on the Gospel of grace through faith (belief). The verses above are considered some of the core salvation verses, for Paul boils it down to 2 basic steps; belief in your heart and then profession with your mouth that Jesus is Lord! This forms the foundation of what is sometimes called the sinners prayer, which adds the recognition of our sinfulness and need for forgiveness, but it starts with a belief that Jesus is Lord.
My reflection today is not so much on the basics, but on the next two verses where Paul lays out the foundational principles of evangelism. These verses tie back to the great commission that Jesus gave to all the disciples in Matt 28:18-20, and again in Acts 1:8, calling us go to all the world. The message is simple, the call to action is clear, and Paul boils it down as follows (in reverse order) we are sent to preach about the Lord Jesus so that they might hear and believe.
The word Paul uses that is translated preach is the Greek word Kerusso and it is basically defined as follows:
1) to be a herald, to officiate as a herald
2) to publish, proclaim openly: something which has been done
The first definition calls to mind the old town heralds or news hawkers, that stand on the corner and proclaim to those who can hear their voice the relevant news that affects them all. This is exactly what Jesus called the apostles to do when He sent them out, they were to proclaim the news that the Kingdom of Heaven was at hand, and then demonstrate that reality (Matt 10:7-8). The people would hear their message and then believe their message because of the demonstration of the Kingdom reality in their midst.
Paul knew that the people needed proclamation coupled with demonstration for them to truly believe. He was well versed in the scriptural proofs that Jesus was the Messiah and he would proclaim that in simple terms, but then always demonstrate that through signs and wonders, and not rely on his words. He said it this way - 1 Corinthians 2:3-5 NIV: "I came to you in weakness with great fear and trembling. [4] My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit's power, [5] so that your faith might not rest on human wisdom, but on God's power."
I think we are selling ourselves, and those who hear our proclamation, short if we just stick to the verses in Romans (quoted above) and think that just saying the words is enough to move someone from unbelief to belief. Jesus demonstrated proclamation and demonstration, had the apostles proclaim and demonstrate, and taught Paul to do the same. Thus, to effectively evangelize we must proclaim and demonstrate, which enables the people to believe not in our words, but in the power of God demonstrating the truth of our words and then profess their belief.
I think that we too often shy away from the demonstration part because of our own lack of faith. Healing and signs and wonders are clearly not in our human abilities to produce, and too many of us fear failure. I think it is important to look at logic and faith here and recognize the goodness and faithfulness of the Lord. If He calls us, and sends us to those that He loves, who at present are lost, and has demonstrated to us how to reach them and bring them towards belief (Jesus' ministry) would He not back up His command to preach with real power so that we could do as He did? That is like me being sent out to my customers by my company without any real knowledge of the products nor any actual products for the customer to try and buy. Why would they believe what I say if I can't demonstrate the truth of my claims.
This is exactly what Jesus told the disciples to do, to proclaim AND demonstrate. They were called to go through all the nations and proclaim that the whole world would know that He is the savior, and then demonstrate this reality, that they might believe and be saved.
Amen Lord, help us to fulfill Your Commission!
Anyway, here are the verses I am reflecting upon today - Romans 10:9-15 NIV:
[9] "If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. [10] For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved. [11] As Scripture says, “Anyone who believes in him will never be put to shame.” [12] For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile---the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, [13] for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
[14] "How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? [15] And how can anyone preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!”
These verses come from a section where Paul starts reflecting on the fact that not all the Jews (Israelites is what Paul calls them) accepted Jesus. He is reflecting on the Gospel of grace through faith (belief). The verses above are considered some of the core salvation verses, for Paul boils it down to 2 basic steps; belief in your heart and then profession with your mouth that Jesus is Lord! This forms the foundation of what is sometimes called the sinners prayer, which adds the recognition of our sinfulness and need for forgiveness, but it starts with a belief that Jesus is Lord.
My reflection today is not so much on the basics, but on the next two verses where Paul lays out the foundational principles of evangelism. These verses tie back to the great commission that Jesus gave to all the disciples in Matt 28:18-20, and again in Acts 1:8, calling us go to all the world. The message is simple, the call to action is clear, and Paul boils it down as follows (in reverse order) we are sent to preach about the Lord Jesus so that they might hear and believe.
The word Paul uses that is translated preach is the Greek word Kerusso and it is basically defined as follows:
1) to be a herald, to officiate as a herald
2) to publish, proclaim openly: something which has been done
The first definition calls to mind the old town heralds or news hawkers, that stand on the corner and proclaim to those who can hear their voice the relevant news that affects them all. This is exactly what Jesus called the apostles to do when He sent them out, they were to proclaim the news that the Kingdom of Heaven was at hand, and then demonstrate that reality (Matt 10:7-8). The people would hear their message and then believe their message because of the demonstration of the Kingdom reality in their midst.
Paul knew that the people needed proclamation coupled with demonstration for them to truly believe. He was well versed in the scriptural proofs that Jesus was the Messiah and he would proclaim that in simple terms, but then always demonstrate that through signs and wonders, and not rely on his words. He said it this way - 1 Corinthians 2:3-5 NIV: "I came to you in weakness with great fear and trembling. [4] My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit's power, [5] so that your faith might not rest on human wisdom, but on God's power."
I think we are selling ourselves, and those who hear our proclamation, short if we just stick to the verses in Romans (quoted above) and think that just saying the words is enough to move someone from unbelief to belief. Jesus demonstrated proclamation and demonstration, had the apostles proclaim and demonstrate, and taught Paul to do the same. Thus, to effectively evangelize we must proclaim and demonstrate, which enables the people to believe not in our words, but in the power of God demonstrating the truth of our words and then profess their belief.
I think that we too often shy away from the demonstration part because of our own lack of faith. Healing and signs and wonders are clearly not in our human abilities to produce, and too many of us fear failure. I think it is important to look at logic and faith here and recognize the goodness and faithfulness of the Lord. If He calls us, and sends us to those that He loves, who at present are lost, and has demonstrated to us how to reach them and bring them towards belief (Jesus' ministry) would He not back up His command to preach with real power so that we could do as He did? That is like me being sent out to my customers by my company without any real knowledge of the products nor any actual products for the customer to try and buy. Why would they believe what I say if I can't demonstrate the truth of my claims.
This is exactly what Jesus told the disciples to do, to proclaim AND demonstrate. They were called to go through all the nations and proclaim that the whole world would know that He is the savior, and then demonstrate this reality, that they might believe and be saved.
Amen Lord, help us to fulfill Your Commission!
Friday, July 21, 2017
Lift Up Your Eyes!
This morning I thought I would reflect on Psalm 121. It has been a while since I spent much time in the Psalms, but I sure do love them. This PSalm is relatively short, so I will share it in its entirety.
Psalm 121:1-8 NIV:
[1] "I lift up my eyes to the mountains---where does my help come from?
[2] My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.
[3] He will not let your foot slip---he who watches over you will not slumber;
[4] indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep."
[5] "The Lord watches over you---the Lord is your shade at your right hand;
[6] the sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night.
[7] The Lord will keep you from all harm---he will watch over your life;
[8] the Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore."
This Psalm is considered one of the songs of ascents, meaning it was one that was recited as they made their way to the temple in Jerusalem. That being the case, it was to remind the traveler of the benefits of the Lord's presence, to help attune their heart to Him as they journeyed towards His temple. What a great reminder of God's presence and His care and watching over us.
I like that is calls us to lift up our eyes, to consider where our help is coming from. I find that in the midst of trouble I can be so focused on the trouble, I can be so focused on it, that I forget everything else. As the pilgrim made their way to Jerusalem, especially the last few miles, they might have benn able to glimpse the Temple, for it was built on Mt. Zion.
For us, we can lift our eyes off our present situation and regard God, who is our source of all help, provision and all good things. As we consider the remaining lines of this song, let us be encouraged that God does watch over us, does support us and help us to walk through difficult times. He will guide us and protect us if we entrust ourselves to Him and His help.
I am reminded of another set of verses where God speaks to the people through His prophet Isaiah 48:17-18 NIV:
[17] "This is what the Lord says---your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: “I am the Lord your God, who teaches you what is best for you, who directs you in the way you should go. [18] If only you had paid attention to my commands, your peace would have been like a river, your well-being like the waves of the sea."
Our attention is important in our ability to walk in the ways of God. He does watch over us and protect us, but His desire is that He might lead and we follow. He desires more than just adherence to a set of rules, for He is looking for relationship. He will teach us and guide us, but we must look to Him, pay attention and listen. He will not force us to follow His ways, it is our choice, to pay attention or not.
Much like our school years, when we had to give our attention to our teachers to really learn what they were teaching us, the Lord is looking to us to learn to listen, to learn to turn our attention to Him. These days there are many things that will draw our attention away form the Lord, and we are the ones who have to choose what we will listen too.
So this morning I am encouraged to lift up my eyes to look to Him, and attune my ears to listen to Him. He desires to lead me and guide me, and I must choose to follow. I was just reminded of several videos I have seen where people are paying so much attention to their phones that they walk into signposts, fall into pools, all sorts of accidents that wouldn't happen if they were giving their attention to their surroundings. I don't want to be like one of them!
Amen!
Psalm 121:1-8 NIV:
[1] "I lift up my eyes to the mountains---where does my help come from?
[2] My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.
[3] He will not let your foot slip---he who watches over you will not slumber;
[4] indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep."
[5] "The Lord watches over you---the Lord is your shade at your right hand;
[6] the sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night.
[7] The Lord will keep you from all harm---he will watch over your life;
[8] the Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore."
This Psalm is considered one of the songs of ascents, meaning it was one that was recited as they made their way to the temple in Jerusalem. That being the case, it was to remind the traveler of the benefits of the Lord's presence, to help attune their heart to Him as they journeyed towards His temple. What a great reminder of God's presence and His care and watching over us.
I like that is calls us to lift up our eyes, to consider where our help is coming from. I find that in the midst of trouble I can be so focused on the trouble, I can be so focused on it, that I forget everything else. As the pilgrim made their way to Jerusalem, especially the last few miles, they might have benn able to glimpse the Temple, for it was built on Mt. Zion.
For us, we can lift our eyes off our present situation and regard God, who is our source of all help, provision and all good things. As we consider the remaining lines of this song, let us be encouraged that God does watch over us, does support us and help us to walk through difficult times. He will guide us and protect us if we entrust ourselves to Him and His help.
I am reminded of another set of verses where God speaks to the people through His prophet Isaiah 48:17-18 NIV:
[17] "This is what the Lord says---your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: “I am the Lord your God, who teaches you what is best for you, who directs you in the way you should go. [18] If only you had paid attention to my commands, your peace would have been like a river, your well-being like the waves of the sea."
Our attention is important in our ability to walk in the ways of God. He does watch over us and protect us, but His desire is that He might lead and we follow. He desires more than just adherence to a set of rules, for He is looking for relationship. He will teach us and guide us, but we must look to Him, pay attention and listen. He will not force us to follow His ways, it is our choice, to pay attention or not.
Much like our school years, when we had to give our attention to our teachers to really learn what they were teaching us, the Lord is looking to us to learn to listen, to learn to turn our attention to Him. These days there are many things that will draw our attention away form the Lord, and we are the ones who have to choose what we will listen too.
So this morning I am encouraged to lift up my eyes to look to Him, and attune my ears to listen to Him. He desires to lead me and guide me, and I must choose to follow. I was just reminded of several videos I have seen where people are paying so much attention to their phones that they walk into signposts, fall into pools, all sorts of accidents that wouldn't happen if they were giving their attention to their surroundings. I don't want to be like one of them!
Amen!
Sunday, July 16, 2017
Jesus Knows Our Pain In Loss
This morning, due the recent loss of our beloved pet, I thought it would be helpful to meditate on Christ's compassion, especially as it relates to death. These verses are taken from John's Gospel, and the story of Lazarus. They occur before Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead.
John 11:32-36 NIV:
[32] "When Mary reached the place where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet and said, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.”
[33] When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come along with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled.
[34] “Where have you laid him?” he asked.
“Come and see, Lord,” they replied.
[35] Jesus wept.
[36] Then the Jews said, “See how he loved him!”
Reflecting on verse 33, there are three main Greek words used by John to describe Jesus' reaction to Mary and her friends, they are Embrimaomai, Klaio and Tarasso. The word Tarasso means to be troubled, but not just in spirit, to see the body agitated, arms swinging, pacing back and forth. The word Klaio means to wail and weep. The word Embrimaomai's root means to snort in anger, even while charging. I am not sure what exactly John is describing as a range of emotions for Jesus, but it was not simply feeling sad for Mary and her friends. This was something deep and appeared to affect his whole body and appearance.
We know from Jesus' earlier comments to his disciples that He understood that Lazarus would be raised from the dead, so one would think that he would be largely unaffected by their sorrow, knowing that it would be turned to joy soon enough, yet that is not the case. Instead he is stirred up and passionate, weeping and wailing himself. One can only assume that His reaction is extreme empathy, and also likely rooted in his own experience.
I find it very hard to empathize with someone who is going through a hard time, if I haven't gone through it myself. I used to feel really sorry for families who had members going through cancer, but now having watched my sweetheart suffer through Chemo and surgery and all the years of affected life, I have a completely different level of empathy for those who are dealing with Cancer. Similarly, when I hear of someone who is laid off from the job, I now know exactly how hard that time can be having been laid off several times. My heart and my mind, my emotions are all engaged to different levels than before I had these experiences. Thus, I believe that Jesus was empathetic to the level He demonstrated because He knew exactly how they felt.
Several years ago I spent quite a bit of time reflecting on Jesus' quiet 30 years of life, prior to being released into visible ministry. We believe that during this time his father Joseph passed away, for he is not mentioned in any of the stories once Jesus began his ministry. Jesus was known as the Carpenter's son and had likely served as Joseph's apprentice. This means that all day long, every day, He interacted with Joseph, was coached and trained by Joseph, and everything He knew about carpentry was likely taught to Him by Joseph. It is only natural to assume that when Joseph was dying, whatever the cause, that Jesus was deeply impacted. This man had raised Him as his own, had taught Him most everything, was His constant companion and teacher. I believe it is safe to say that Jesus was the man He was because of Joseph.
In light of this, I imagine that Jesus also knew exactly who He was and what He was called to do, and capable of doing through God's power. We are told early in Luke's Gospel that Jesus was aware of His true Father in heaven by the time he was 12, and that Joseph was still alive at that point. I imagine that Jesus had several long conversations in prayer with His Father in heaven, when it was clear that Joseph was dying. I imagine that Jesus was greatly moved by the loss of Joseph as well as by the inability to do anything for him, in spite of His special relationship with the Father in Heaven, because the time had not yet come for His public ministry. I imagine that Jesus exhibited the same mourning for Joseph as he did for Mary, Martha and their friends. He wept because He knew their pain! He mourned because He knew the depths of despair and helplessness they felt in the face of death. He was troubled because He knew what they had been through the last 4 days, and the days leading up to Lazarus' death.
Jesus also says in John's gospel that He only did what He saw the Father doing, and said what the Father told Him to say, so we can also conclude that Jesus being touched deeply by his friend's death, and other friend's suffering and mourning, is originating with His Father. In other words, the Father knows exactly how we are feeling and He also mourns with us. This is actually a pretty startling revelation, yet we should not be surprised because it is depth of love that ties us to others, and allows us to experience their pain and loss. It is the bonds of friendship, relationship and family that connect us to one another, and thus when one friend hurts, all of their friends hurt, when one member in a relationship hurts the other member hurts, and when one family member hurts the whole family hurts. Paul takes this understanding to a body analogy. If then Lord is the head of the Body of Christ, than He clearly feels everything the Body feels. Paul says it this way, "If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it." (1 Corinthians 12:25 NIV).
In summary, we clearly have Lord who understands our pains, our suffering, our sadness and our loss in the face of death. His omnipotence and omniscience do not override His love and concern, his empathy or compassion. He loves us and His heart goes out to us, just as He showed us in the case of Martha, Mary and their friends. He is also the God of peace and comfort, so let us turn to Him for both in our times of need, for His love compels Him to turn His heart towards us.
John 11:32-36 NIV:
[32] "When Mary reached the place where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet and said, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.”
[33] When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come along with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled.
[34] “Where have you laid him?” he asked.
“Come and see, Lord,” they replied.
[35] Jesus wept.
[36] Then the Jews said, “See how he loved him!”
Reflecting on verse 33, there are three main Greek words used by John to describe Jesus' reaction to Mary and her friends, they are Embrimaomai, Klaio and Tarasso. The word Tarasso means to be troubled, but not just in spirit, to see the body agitated, arms swinging, pacing back and forth. The word Klaio means to wail and weep. The word Embrimaomai's root means to snort in anger, even while charging. I am not sure what exactly John is describing as a range of emotions for Jesus, but it was not simply feeling sad for Mary and her friends. This was something deep and appeared to affect his whole body and appearance.
We know from Jesus' earlier comments to his disciples that He understood that Lazarus would be raised from the dead, so one would think that he would be largely unaffected by their sorrow, knowing that it would be turned to joy soon enough, yet that is not the case. Instead he is stirred up and passionate, weeping and wailing himself. One can only assume that His reaction is extreme empathy, and also likely rooted in his own experience.
I find it very hard to empathize with someone who is going through a hard time, if I haven't gone through it myself. I used to feel really sorry for families who had members going through cancer, but now having watched my sweetheart suffer through Chemo and surgery and all the years of affected life, I have a completely different level of empathy for those who are dealing with Cancer. Similarly, when I hear of someone who is laid off from the job, I now know exactly how hard that time can be having been laid off several times. My heart and my mind, my emotions are all engaged to different levels than before I had these experiences. Thus, I believe that Jesus was empathetic to the level He demonstrated because He knew exactly how they felt.
Several years ago I spent quite a bit of time reflecting on Jesus' quiet 30 years of life, prior to being released into visible ministry. We believe that during this time his father Joseph passed away, for he is not mentioned in any of the stories once Jesus began his ministry. Jesus was known as the Carpenter's son and had likely served as Joseph's apprentice. This means that all day long, every day, He interacted with Joseph, was coached and trained by Joseph, and everything He knew about carpentry was likely taught to Him by Joseph. It is only natural to assume that when Joseph was dying, whatever the cause, that Jesus was deeply impacted. This man had raised Him as his own, had taught Him most everything, was His constant companion and teacher. I believe it is safe to say that Jesus was the man He was because of Joseph.
In light of this, I imagine that Jesus also knew exactly who He was and what He was called to do, and capable of doing through God's power. We are told early in Luke's Gospel that Jesus was aware of His true Father in heaven by the time he was 12, and that Joseph was still alive at that point. I imagine that Jesus had several long conversations in prayer with His Father in heaven, when it was clear that Joseph was dying. I imagine that Jesus was greatly moved by the loss of Joseph as well as by the inability to do anything for him, in spite of His special relationship with the Father in Heaven, because the time had not yet come for His public ministry. I imagine that Jesus exhibited the same mourning for Joseph as he did for Mary, Martha and their friends. He wept because He knew their pain! He mourned because He knew the depths of despair and helplessness they felt in the face of death. He was troubled because He knew what they had been through the last 4 days, and the days leading up to Lazarus' death.
Jesus also says in John's gospel that He only did what He saw the Father doing, and said what the Father told Him to say, so we can also conclude that Jesus being touched deeply by his friend's death, and other friend's suffering and mourning, is originating with His Father. In other words, the Father knows exactly how we are feeling and He also mourns with us. This is actually a pretty startling revelation, yet we should not be surprised because it is depth of love that ties us to others, and allows us to experience their pain and loss. It is the bonds of friendship, relationship and family that connect us to one another, and thus when one friend hurts, all of their friends hurt, when one member in a relationship hurts the other member hurts, and when one family member hurts the whole family hurts. Paul takes this understanding to a body analogy. If then Lord is the head of the Body of Christ, than He clearly feels everything the Body feels. Paul says it this way, "If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it." (1 Corinthians 12:25 NIV).
In summary, we clearly have Lord who understands our pains, our suffering, our sadness and our loss in the face of death. His omnipotence and omniscience do not override His love and concern, his empathy or compassion. He loves us and His heart goes out to us, just as He showed us in the case of Martha, Mary and their friends. He is also the God of peace and comfort, so let us turn to Him for both in our times of need, for His love compels Him to turn His heart towards us.
Friday, July 14, 2017
Freedom, Grace and Love Shown Through Action
This morning I have a theme running through my mind that is related to freedom, the Gospel of grace through faith, and religion. James talks about the "perfect law that brings freedom" (Jas 1:25) and I believe he is talking about the commands to love one another, within the Gospel of grace through faith. His comments are actually taken from within the larger context of him talking about making one's actions line up with one's faith. In the same way Paul, in his letter to the Galatians, is talking about the freedom we have in Christ, and it is freedom from the OT law, and religion. Paul says "the only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love!"(Gal 5:6)
If we take these two themes and combine them we see that our call is to love God and love one another and to enjoy freedom in Christ, and that love and freedom should be expressed through action. However, we are encouraged, within this call, not to take up judgment or embrace religion of man. Religion and the yoke of slavery that Paul mentions (Gal 5:1) are the efforts to achieve righteousness on our own through our own efforts. These invariably turn into judgments, for we can look at another's life and tell by their actions whether they are meeting the requirements we have set. This is exactly what was happening in Galatia.
We are called to embrace freedom, and to extend freedom to others. That freedom comes from the grace extended to us in Christ. We are called to extend the same grace to each other that God has extended to us. Too often, once we have been born again, and we start to embrace change in our lifestyles to reflect our relationship with God and we look at others and see they have not changed in the same ways and we begin to judge. This is where religion slips in, for we start to make into rules what we have done out of relationship and love. Instead of love and freedom we are extending judgment. James encourages us to embrace mercy, for "mercy triumphs over judgment" (Jas 2:13).
James encourages us to "speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom."(Jas 2:12) This is exactly what I am talking about! Our speech and our actions (faith expressed through love) must align with the Gospel of grace. Let us learn to "serve one another humbly in love." (Gal 5:13) Let us not judge, but rather extend mercy! Let us preach freedom through grace, and let us express our faith through love with action!
For reference the verses I used above are included below.
Galatians 5:1,4-6,13-14 NIV:
[1] "It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery."
[4] "You who are trying to be justified by the law have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen away from grace. [5] For through the Spirit we eagerly await by faith the righteousness for which we hope. [6] For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value. The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love."
[13] "You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh ; rather, serve one another humbly in love. [14] For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”
James 1:22-25 NIV:
[22] "Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. [23] Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror [24] and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. [25] But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it---not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it---they will be blessed in what they do."
James 2:12-13 NIV:
[12] "Speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom, [13] because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment."
If we take these two themes and combine them we see that our call is to love God and love one another and to enjoy freedom in Christ, and that love and freedom should be expressed through action. However, we are encouraged, within this call, not to take up judgment or embrace religion of man. Religion and the yoke of slavery that Paul mentions (Gal 5:1) are the efforts to achieve righteousness on our own through our own efforts. These invariably turn into judgments, for we can look at another's life and tell by their actions whether they are meeting the requirements we have set. This is exactly what was happening in Galatia.
We are called to embrace freedom, and to extend freedom to others. That freedom comes from the grace extended to us in Christ. We are called to extend the same grace to each other that God has extended to us. Too often, once we have been born again, and we start to embrace change in our lifestyles to reflect our relationship with God and we look at others and see they have not changed in the same ways and we begin to judge. This is where religion slips in, for we start to make into rules what we have done out of relationship and love. Instead of love and freedom we are extending judgment. James encourages us to embrace mercy, for "mercy triumphs over judgment" (Jas 2:13).
James encourages us to "speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom."(Jas 2:12) This is exactly what I am talking about! Our speech and our actions (faith expressed through love) must align with the Gospel of grace. Let us learn to "serve one another humbly in love." (Gal 5:13) Let us not judge, but rather extend mercy! Let us preach freedom through grace, and let us express our faith through love with action!
For reference the verses I used above are included below.
Galatians 5:1,4-6,13-14 NIV:
[1] "It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery."
[4] "You who are trying to be justified by the law have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen away from grace. [5] For through the Spirit we eagerly await by faith the righteousness for which we hope. [6] For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value. The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love."
[13] "You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh ; rather, serve one another humbly in love. [14] For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”
James 1:22-25 NIV:
[22] "Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. [23] Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror [24] and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. [25] But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it---not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it---they will be blessed in what they do."
James 2:12-13 NIV:
[12] "Speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom, [13] because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment."
Wednesday, July 12, 2017
Let Our Hearts Be Stirred!
This morning I felt like I should read from the Book of Ezra. I have been thinking and praying about changed hearts and realized that the following verses were quite applicable - Ezra 1:5-8,11 NIV:
[5] "Then the family heads of Judah and Benjamin, and the priests and Levites---everyone whose heart God had moved---prepared to go up and build the house of the Lord in Jerusalem. [6] All their neighbors assisted them with articles of silver and gold, with goods and livestock, and with valuable gifts, in addition to all the freewill offerings."
[7] "Moreover, King Cyrus brought out the articles belonging to the temple of the Lord, which Nebuchadnezzar had carried away from Jerusalem and had placed in the temple of his god. [8] Cyrus king of Persia had them brought by Mithredath the treasurer, who counted them out to Sheshbazzar the prince of Judah."
[11] "In all, there were 5,400 articles of gold and of silver. Sheshbazzar brought all these along with the exiles when they came up from Babylon to Jerusalem."
What I am reflecting on this morning is how God can affect hearts, and in verse five above it says that God moved hearts. The original Hebrew would be more accurately translated "everyone whose spirits were stirred up by God", but moved hearts effectively communicates the essential truth. When hearts are inclined towards God, He can guide us into His will through our hearts, through heightened emotion, through enflamed passions. God is not only a God of words, but also understands our emotions and can "speak" to us through them.
I like to think of this as His heart stirring causing our hearts to be stirred. The picture I have in my mind is the plucking of a single guitar string causing the other strings to vibrate slightly as they are impacted by the sound waves produced by the plucking of the first string. These other vibrations are called resonance and they are directly related to the original sound. Resonance is defined as "the reinforcement or prolongation of sound by reflection from a surface or by the synchronous vibration of a neighboring object." (Google Dictionary).
God's stated desire (Jer. 29) was to restore the Jewish people to Jerusalem and help them rebuild the temple. In these passages in Ezra, He caused a stirring in the hearts of the people as well as the King to support this effort. Specifically he caused them (the people) to give of their time and physical efforts, but also caused, through the stirring of their hearts, their neighbors and the King to give financial support. King Cyrus even went so far as to restore the very things from the Temple that had been carried away by the previous King.
My encouragement today is that God is capable of raising up and supporting things that are on His heart. He guides us and directs us through our hearts, causing us to be stirred up by things we hear about. His desire is that we sometimes get involved personally, and other times give financially, for both are legitimate responses to our hearts being impacted by His heart, and our spirits resonating with His as He is at work in and around our lives. We should notice that their hearts were stirred and they gave freely, not through shaming or emotional coercion.
My desire is that my spirit within me and my heart would be impacted by the works of the Lord, that I would resonate with the same affections that are in His heart! Lord help me to be sensitive to Your stirrings!
Amen!
[5] "Then the family heads of Judah and Benjamin, and the priests and Levites---everyone whose heart God had moved---prepared to go up and build the house of the Lord in Jerusalem. [6] All their neighbors assisted them with articles of silver and gold, with goods and livestock, and with valuable gifts, in addition to all the freewill offerings."
[7] "Moreover, King Cyrus brought out the articles belonging to the temple of the Lord, which Nebuchadnezzar had carried away from Jerusalem and had placed in the temple of his god. [8] Cyrus king of Persia had them brought by Mithredath the treasurer, who counted them out to Sheshbazzar the prince of Judah."
[11] "In all, there were 5,400 articles of gold and of silver. Sheshbazzar brought all these along with the exiles when they came up from Babylon to Jerusalem."
What I am reflecting on this morning is how God can affect hearts, and in verse five above it says that God moved hearts. The original Hebrew would be more accurately translated "everyone whose spirits were stirred up by God", but moved hearts effectively communicates the essential truth. When hearts are inclined towards God, He can guide us into His will through our hearts, through heightened emotion, through enflamed passions. God is not only a God of words, but also understands our emotions and can "speak" to us through them.
I like to think of this as His heart stirring causing our hearts to be stirred. The picture I have in my mind is the plucking of a single guitar string causing the other strings to vibrate slightly as they are impacted by the sound waves produced by the plucking of the first string. These other vibrations are called resonance and they are directly related to the original sound. Resonance is defined as "the reinforcement or prolongation of sound by reflection from a surface or by the synchronous vibration of a neighboring object." (Google Dictionary).
God's stated desire (Jer. 29) was to restore the Jewish people to Jerusalem and help them rebuild the temple. In these passages in Ezra, He caused a stirring in the hearts of the people as well as the King to support this effort. Specifically he caused them (the people) to give of their time and physical efforts, but also caused, through the stirring of their hearts, their neighbors and the King to give financial support. King Cyrus even went so far as to restore the very things from the Temple that had been carried away by the previous King.
My encouragement today is that God is capable of raising up and supporting things that are on His heart. He guides us and directs us through our hearts, causing us to be stirred up by things we hear about. His desire is that we sometimes get involved personally, and other times give financially, for both are legitimate responses to our hearts being impacted by His heart, and our spirits resonating with His as He is at work in and around our lives. We should notice that their hearts were stirred and they gave freely, not through shaming or emotional coercion.
My desire is that my spirit within me and my heart would be impacted by the works of the Lord, that I would resonate with the same affections that are in His heart! Lord help me to be sensitive to Your stirrings!
Amen!
Sunday, July 9, 2017
How We Treat One Another Matters!
This morning I have been reading through the Letter of James and saw something interesting that is worthy of reflection. Here are some verses from the beginning of the second chapter, and then following verses, that are often addressed individually - James 2:1-4,8-9,12-17 NIV:
[1] "My brothers and sisters, believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ must not show favoritism. [2] Suppose a man comes into your meeting wearing a gold ring and fine clothes, and a poor man in filthy old clothes also comes in. [3] If you show special attention to the man wearing fine clothes and say, “Here's a good seat for you,” but say to the poor man, “You stand there” or “Sit on the floor by my feet,” [4] have you not discriminated among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts?"
[8] "If you really keep the royal law found in Scripture, “Love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing right. [9] But if you show favoritism, you sin and are convicted by the law as lawbreakers."
[12] "Speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom, [13] because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment. [14] What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? [15] Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. [16] If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? [17] In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead."
What I found specifically interesting this morning, is that James starts talking about favoritism, and that is actually the foundational theme of all of these verses. Oftentimes these verses, and those in between, could be quoted or addressed individually, without the foundational theme being included. James goes into a major discourse on faith and actions following these verses, and it appears that the foundation of those comments is also showing favoritism.
I go back to Jesus' comments about His new commandment, to love one another as He loved us (John 13:34), and I see that command being laid out in James' letter in veery practical terms. How we treat each other, how we think about each other, is directly tied back to that command. Jesus, in his earthly ministry, gave his personal attention to rich and poor, well and sick, adult and children, sinner and righteous, and loved them all, and calls us to do the same.
James is taking that example and expounding upon it, drawing our attention to our thoughts, and our judgmental attitudes. I know I am quick to judge people on appearance, making snap judgements on all sorts of things, simply based on how they are dressed, or how they appear. In our western, marketing driven, advertising saturated world, we can easily fall into this type of behavior. I believe that Jesus embraced each person for their own unique value, and so should we. We must see the lowly, the poor and downtrodden as every bit as valuable as the wealthy and beautiful, especially in the body of Christ.
How we treat people, how we embrace them is directly tied to James thoughts in verses 12-17. Mercy triumphing over judgment, is tied to how we treat and think about others. Our actions (verse 14-17) are directly tied to how treat and think about others! One could even expand this into how we treat those closest to us, our own family members. There is a saying that 'familiarity breeds contempt' and we must guard our hearts and minds so as not to treat our family any different than others, or in other's company. Could it be that our Christian witness is supposed to primarily focused on two things - how well we love God and how well we love one another? If you listen to Jesus' words, these are our primary commands!
We are called to love others, to show this love by action, by the way we treat them, and even by the way we think about them. We are called to love others, to see their uniqueness, and embrace them for their value as a brother or sister, regardless of their social status, wealth, looks or appearance. Oh that the Body of Christ were known for our love and good treatment of all, regardless of whether we agree with their worldview or lifestyles!
This morning I am encouraged to look at my own behavior and actions towards all people, and see what things I am called to do differently. Lord, help me to love others the way You love me! Help me extend mercy not judgment, and help me to do away with any favoritism in my life!
[1] "My brothers and sisters, believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ must not show favoritism. [2] Suppose a man comes into your meeting wearing a gold ring and fine clothes, and a poor man in filthy old clothes also comes in. [3] If you show special attention to the man wearing fine clothes and say, “Here's a good seat for you,” but say to the poor man, “You stand there” or “Sit on the floor by my feet,” [4] have you not discriminated among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts?"
[8] "If you really keep the royal law found in Scripture, “Love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing right. [9] But if you show favoritism, you sin and are convicted by the law as lawbreakers."
[12] "Speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom, [13] because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment. [14] What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? [15] Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. [16] If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? [17] In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead."
What I found specifically interesting this morning, is that James starts talking about favoritism, and that is actually the foundational theme of all of these verses. Oftentimes these verses, and those in between, could be quoted or addressed individually, without the foundational theme being included. James goes into a major discourse on faith and actions following these verses, and it appears that the foundation of those comments is also showing favoritism.
I go back to Jesus' comments about His new commandment, to love one another as He loved us (John 13:34), and I see that command being laid out in James' letter in veery practical terms. How we treat each other, how we think about each other, is directly tied back to that command. Jesus, in his earthly ministry, gave his personal attention to rich and poor, well and sick, adult and children, sinner and righteous, and loved them all, and calls us to do the same.
James is taking that example and expounding upon it, drawing our attention to our thoughts, and our judgmental attitudes. I know I am quick to judge people on appearance, making snap judgements on all sorts of things, simply based on how they are dressed, or how they appear. In our western, marketing driven, advertising saturated world, we can easily fall into this type of behavior. I believe that Jesus embraced each person for their own unique value, and so should we. We must see the lowly, the poor and downtrodden as every bit as valuable as the wealthy and beautiful, especially in the body of Christ.
How we treat people, how we embrace them is directly tied to James thoughts in verses 12-17. Mercy triumphing over judgment, is tied to how we treat and think about others. Our actions (verse 14-17) are directly tied to how treat and think about others! One could even expand this into how we treat those closest to us, our own family members. There is a saying that 'familiarity breeds contempt' and we must guard our hearts and minds so as not to treat our family any different than others, or in other's company. Could it be that our Christian witness is supposed to primarily focused on two things - how well we love God and how well we love one another? If you listen to Jesus' words, these are our primary commands!
We are called to love others, to show this love by action, by the way we treat them, and even by the way we think about them. We are called to love others, to see their uniqueness, and embrace them for their value as a brother or sister, regardless of their social status, wealth, looks or appearance. Oh that the Body of Christ were known for our love and good treatment of all, regardless of whether we agree with their worldview or lifestyles!
This morning I am encouraged to look at my own behavior and actions towards all people, and see what things I am called to do differently. Lord, help me to love others the way You love me! Help me extend mercy not judgment, and help me to do away with any favoritism in my life!
Friday, July 7, 2017
The Norm for Our Ministry Experience - Healing, Deliverance, Cleansing and Freedom
This morning I am reflecting on a story that is found in all three of synoptic Gospel's, the demonized child that the disciples were unable to cure. I am going to start with the introduction of the situation by Mark and then look at the results from Luke's Gospel. In all three Gospels, this story follows immediately after the Transfiguration of Jesus on the Mountain.
Mark 9:14-18 NIV:
[14] "When they came to the other disciples, they saw a large crowd around them and the teachers of the law arguing with them. [15] As soon as all the people saw Jesus, they were overwhelmed with wonder and ran to greet him.
[16] “What are you arguing with them about?” he asked.
[17] A man in the crowd answered, “Teacher, I brought you my son, who is possessed by a spirit that has robbed him of speech. [18] Whenever it seizes him, it throws him to the ground. He foams at the mouth, gnashes his teeth and becomes rigid. I asked your disciples to drive out the spirit, but they could not.”
Following this explanation of the situation, Jesus has the boy brought to him - and we pick up the remainder of the story from Luke 9:42-43 NIV:
[42] "Even while the boy was coming, the demon threw him to the ground in a convulsion. But Jesus rebuked the impure spirit, healed the boy and gave him back to his father. [43] And they were all amazed at the greatness of God..."
My reflection on this story this morning, is that there was a disagreement that occurred when the disciples COULDN'T heal the boy! What is obviously unwritten is that everyone was expecting that they could, and that was the norm for their ministry. In fact in Mark's Gospel after the event was finished the disciples asked for understanding as seen here - Mark 9:28-29 NIV: "After Jesus had gone indoors, his disciples asked him privately, “Why couldn't we drive it out?” [29] He replied, “This kind can come out only by prayer (some manuscripts and - "and fasting"). ”
My point being that casting out demons, a type of healing, was considered a sure thing in the normal ministry of Jesus and His disciples! The only reason the man brought his son in the first place was that he had heard that Jesus could heal people like his son. The disagreement occurred when the disciples couldn't cure him. One can conjecture as to what the disagreement was about, and I would think that the people gathered around were doubting whether their ministry was really effective, calling into question their methods, all sorts of things that is normal fault finding when something doesn't go correctly.
We see this in today's ministries when we pray for people and they don't get healed. We have several different strategies to explain away our ineffectiveness. As Jesus demonstrated in this story, the issue wasn't the authority available in the Kingdom of God, it was the authority being wielded by the disciples that was insufficient. He had the authority, and immediately cast it out. In our ministries we blame lack of faith most often, sometimes its the technique used, or the prayers prayed, or sometimes we fall back on a theory that God wants us the afflicted person to suffer for some reason. I believe the truth is that we lack the authority in the Kingdom, which appears to come from faith and relationship with God. There are obviously other things like the timing of God which I don't want to get into here, but let me focus on the authority and relationship components.
If we go back to the original commissioning of the twelve Apostles to go minister we see Jesus sending them with the following directions - Matthew 10:1,5-8 NIV:
[1] "Jesus called his twelve disciples to him and gave them authority to drive out impure spirits and to heal every disease and sickness."
[5] "These twelve Jesus sent out with the following instructions: “Do not go among the Gentiles or enter any town of the Samaritans. [6] Go rather to the lost sheep of Israel. [7] As you go, proclaim this message: 'The kingdom of heaven has come near.' [8] Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received; freely give."
Jesus gave them authority. They had relationship with Him, and were given authority because of their relationship. I would imagine, although its not mentioned here directly, that their faith (Which is also a gift from the Lord) was greatly increased by this sending directions. They knew that it was within their authority to do all which Jesus told them in verse 8, or He wouldn't have said it.
I find it interesting that Jesus finished this particular set of directions with the statement, Freely you have received; freely give." What they had received was authority (see verse 1 above) and they were supposed to give out of that authority. What did they give? I think they were called to give healing, deliverance, cleansing and freedom - all of which are available in the Kingdom of God. They weren't proclaiming anything they could bring about, but as Jesus had already demonstrated to them, they were proclaiming the Kingdom and then giving away that which was proof that the Kingdom of God was present (healing, etc.), and that which came from God.
The Apostles clearly walked in this ministry so effectively that they were puzzled when then ran into a demon they couldn't drive out, ad seen in our original story. Not only were they surprised but so were the people that were following Jesus. Jesus came down and immediately dealt with the situation and corrected their perceptions about the Kingdom of God, and our authority. There wasn't a demon that could stand against the Kingdom of God, but there were demons that took greater levels of authority to drive out.
In summary, the ministry of the disciples and Jesus were highly effective in healing and delivering people, so much so that when the disciples couldn't drive out a demon they and the people that followed them were surprised. Their ministry flowed out of the authority they had been given through their relationship with Jesus.
It is the same for us today. Jesus directs us all to the same focus - healing, deliverance, cleansing and freedom, and we are to give freely. Let us be encouraged, for these things are not within us, but rather are the fruit of the Kingdom of God present in us. We have been given the same authority, and if we are walking in it, through our relationship with Jesus, we will see the proofs of the Kingdom of God present in our ministry. This should be our normal ministry experience, as it was for the disciples, so much so that when we run into a demon we can't dirve out that we are surprised!
Amen and Amen!
Mark 9:14-18 NIV:
[14] "When they came to the other disciples, they saw a large crowd around them and the teachers of the law arguing with them. [15] As soon as all the people saw Jesus, they were overwhelmed with wonder and ran to greet him.
[16] “What are you arguing with them about?” he asked.
[17] A man in the crowd answered, “Teacher, I brought you my son, who is possessed by a spirit that has robbed him of speech. [18] Whenever it seizes him, it throws him to the ground. He foams at the mouth, gnashes his teeth and becomes rigid. I asked your disciples to drive out the spirit, but they could not.”
Following this explanation of the situation, Jesus has the boy brought to him - and we pick up the remainder of the story from Luke 9:42-43 NIV:
[42] "Even while the boy was coming, the demon threw him to the ground in a convulsion. But Jesus rebuked the impure spirit, healed the boy and gave him back to his father. [43] And they were all amazed at the greatness of God..."
My reflection on this story this morning, is that there was a disagreement that occurred when the disciples COULDN'T heal the boy! What is obviously unwritten is that everyone was expecting that they could, and that was the norm for their ministry. In fact in Mark's Gospel after the event was finished the disciples asked for understanding as seen here - Mark 9:28-29 NIV: "After Jesus had gone indoors, his disciples asked him privately, “Why couldn't we drive it out?” [29] He replied, “This kind can come out only by prayer (some manuscripts and - "and fasting"). ”
My point being that casting out demons, a type of healing, was considered a sure thing in the normal ministry of Jesus and His disciples! The only reason the man brought his son in the first place was that he had heard that Jesus could heal people like his son. The disagreement occurred when the disciples couldn't cure him. One can conjecture as to what the disagreement was about, and I would think that the people gathered around were doubting whether their ministry was really effective, calling into question their methods, all sorts of things that is normal fault finding when something doesn't go correctly.
We see this in today's ministries when we pray for people and they don't get healed. We have several different strategies to explain away our ineffectiveness. As Jesus demonstrated in this story, the issue wasn't the authority available in the Kingdom of God, it was the authority being wielded by the disciples that was insufficient. He had the authority, and immediately cast it out. In our ministries we blame lack of faith most often, sometimes its the technique used, or the prayers prayed, or sometimes we fall back on a theory that God wants us the afflicted person to suffer for some reason. I believe the truth is that we lack the authority in the Kingdom, which appears to come from faith and relationship with God. There are obviously other things like the timing of God which I don't want to get into here, but let me focus on the authority and relationship components.
If we go back to the original commissioning of the twelve Apostles to go minister we see Jesus sending them with the following directions - Matthew 10:1,5-8 NIV:
[1] "Jesus called his twelve disciples to him and gave them authority to drive out impure spirits and to heal every disease and sickness."
[5] "These twelve Jesus sent out with the following instructions: “Do not go among the Gentiles or enter any town of the Samaritans. [6] Go rather to the lost sheep of Israel. [7] As you go, proclaim this message: 'The kingdom of heaven has come near.' [8] Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received; freely give."
Jesus gave them authority. They had relationship with Him, and were given authority because of their relationship. I would imagine, although its not mentioned here directly, that their faith (Which is also a gift from the Lord) was greatly increased by this sending directions. They knew that it was within their authority to do all which Jesus told them in verse 8, or He wouldn't have said it.
I find it interesting that Jesus finished this particular set of directions with the statement, Freely you have received; freely give." What they had received was authority (see verse 1 above) and they were supposed to give out of that authority. What did they give? I think they were called to give healing, deliverance, cleansing and freedom - all of which are available in the Kingdom of God. They weren't proclaiming anything they could bring about, but as Jesus had already demonstrated to them, they were proclaiming the Kingdom and then giving away that which was proof that the Kingdom of God was present (healing, etc.), and that which came from God.
The Apostles clearly walked in this ministry so effectively that they were puzzled when then ran into a demon they couldn't drive out, ad seen in our original story. Not only were they surprised but so were the people that were following Jesus. Jesus came down and immediately dealt with the situation and corrected their perceptions about the Kingdom of God, and our authority. There wasn't a demon that could stand against the Kingdom of God, but there were demons that took greater levels of authority to drive out.
In summary, the ministry of the disciples and Jesus were highly effective in healing and delivering people, so much so that when the disciples couldn't drive out a demon they and the people that followed them were surprised. Their ministry flowed out of the authority they had been given through their relationship with Jesus.
It is the same for us today. Jesus directs us all to the same focus - healing, deliverance, cleansing and freedom, and we are to give freely. Let us be encouraged, for these things are not within us, but rather are the fruit of the Kingdom of God present in us. We have been given the same authority, and if we are walking in it, through our relationship with Jesus, we will see the proofs of the Kingdom of God present in our ministry. This should be our normal ministry experience, as it was for the disciples, so much so that when we run into a demon we can't dirve out that we are surprised!
Amen and Amen!
Wednesday, July 5, 2017
The Witness of Miracles
This morning I am reflecting on the next bit in the Book of Acts, that relates the aftermath of the healing of the man born lame. Basically the authorities throw Peter and John, and even the man that was healed< into jail. The following verses take place the next morning, when Peter and John are called before teh leaders to explain themselves - Acts 4:8-22 NIV:
[8] "Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them: “Rulers and elders of the people! [9] If we are being called to account today for an act of kindness shown to a man who was lame and are being asked how he was healed, [10] then know this, you and all the people of Israel: It is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified but whom God raised from the dead, that this man stands before you healed. [11] Jesus is “ 'the stone you builders rejected, which has become the cornerstone.' [12] Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.”
[13] When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus. [14] But since they could see the man who had been healed standing there with them, there was nothing they could say. [15] So they ordered them to withdraw from the Sanhedrin and then conferred together. [16] “What are we going to do with these men?” they asked. “Everyone living in Jerusalem knows they have performed a notable sign, and we cannot deny it. [17] But to stop this thing from spreading any further among the people, we must warn them to speak no longer to anyone in this name.”
[18] Then they called them in again and commanded them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. [19] But Peter and John replied, “Which is right in God's eyes: to listen to you, or to him? You be the judges! [20] As for us, we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard.”
[21] After further threats they let them go. They could not decide how to punish them, because all the people were praising God for what had happened. [22] For the man who was miraculously healed was over forty years old."
In reflecting on these verses, there is one thing that stands out to me, the witness of the man that was healed. As Luke, the author points out, it would have been easy to discount Peter and John, for they were "unschooled, ordinary men", but the man that was cured miraculously was right there with them and they could all see him standing and walking about as a normal man. The authorities could not argue with his new condition, for apparently he was very well known by most all.
Secondly, it is interesting that the authorities tried to stop the Apostles. They "commanded them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus.” They actually believed Peter and John when they said that was how this man was healed, for they commanded them to stop speaking to anyone in Jesus name! They couldn't stop the news of the healed man, but they thought they could stop the Apostles from doing any more miracles, by stopping them from using His name. Thankfully Peter and John stood up to the threat and said correctly, 'should we listen to you or to Him (God)'?
That is such a great question to put to ourselves, for I know that I tend to listen to man too much. I operate under the fear of man's disapproval way too often. My giving into that fear has essentially the same effect as stopping me from speaking to anyone in the name of Jesus. Oh Lord forgive me and have mercy on me.
The response of the authorities is the same response that we see from the world today when ministries experience healings and miracles. The healings are called in to question, the teachings of the ministers, their own lives are scrutinized for any way to discredit them, oftentimes by church! Rather than taking an approach that recognizes the good that is being done and the lives that are being changed, the concern is that maybe these ministers are false, or teaching a different doctrine than is acceptable, or worse yet, sinners themselves.
Part of the issue for many of us in America, and in the western church is that we have a worldview that doesn't include healing and miracles. Many have believed the cessationist mindset that says miracles might have happened back then, but they aren't necessary now. Still others resist any belief or mention on the grounds of science's inability to define what has happened. Still others resist such thinking on the grounds of our lack of experience of healing and miracles. My prayer is that the Church wakes up to its calling, to ministry in the Name of Jesus, and re-establishes her authority and experiential witness. Despite our fears of abuse and charlatanism in this area, the fact remains that the witness of miracles was essential to the growth and life of the church, and it should be today as well.
Oh Lord, help us!
[8] "Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them: “Rulers and elders of the people! [9] If we are being called to account today for an act of kindness shown to a man who was lame and are being asked how he was healed, [10] then know this, you and all the people of Israel: It is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified but whom God raised from the dead, that this man stands before you healed. [11] Jesus is “ 'the stone you builders rejected, which has become the cornerstone.' [12] Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.”
[13] When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus. [14] But since they could see the man who had been healed standing there with them, there was nothing they could say. [15] So they ordered them to withdraw from the Sanhedrin and then conferred together. [16] “What are we going to do with these men?” they asked. “Everyone living in Jerusalem knows they have performed a notable sign, and we cannot deny it. [17] But to stop this thing from spreading any further among the people, we must warn them to speak no longer to anyone in this name.”
[18] Then they called them in again and commanded them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. [19] But Peter and John replied, “Which is right in God's eyes: to listen to you, or to him? You be the judges! [20] As for us, we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard.”
[21] After further threats they let them go. They could not decide how to punish them, because all the people were praising God for what had happened. [22] For the man who was miraculously healed was over forty years old."
In reflecting on these verses, there is one thing that stands out to me, the witness of the man that was healed. As Luke, the author points out, it would have been easy to discount Peter and John, for they were "unschooled, ordinary men", but the man that was cured miraculously was right there with them and they could all see him standing and walking about as a normal man. The authorities could not argue with his new condition, for apparently he was very well known by most all.
Secondly, it is interesting that the authorities tried to stop the Apostles. They "commanded them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus.” They actually believed Peter and John when they said that was how this man was healed, for they commanded them to stop speaking to anyone in Jesus name! They couldn't stop the news of the healed man, but they thought they could stop the Apostles from doing any more miracles, by stopping them from using His name. Thankfully Peter and John stood up to the threat and said correctly, 'should we listen to you or to Him (God)'?
That is such a great question to put to ourselves, for I know that I tend to listen to man too much. I operate under the fear of man's disapproval way too often. My giving into that fear has essentially the same effect as stopping me from speaking to anyone in the name of Jesus. Oh Lord forgive me and have mercy on me.
The response of the authorities is the same response that we see from the world today when ministries experience healings and miracles. The healings are called in to question, the teachings of the ministers, their own lives are scrutinized for any way to discredit them, oftentimes by church! Rather than taking an approach that recognizes the good that is being done and the lives that are being changed, the concern is that maybe these ministers are false, or teaching a different doctrine than is acceptable, or worse yet, sinners themselves.
Part of the issue for many of us in America, and in the western church is that we have a worldview that doesn't include healing and miracles. Many have believed the cessationist mindset that says miracles might have happened back then, but they aren't necessary now. Still others resist any belief or mention on the grounds of science's inability to define what has happened. Still others resist such thinking on the grounds of our lack of experience of healing and miracles. My prayer is that the Church wakes up to its calling, to ministry in the Name of Jesus, and re-establishes her authority and experiential witness. Despite our fears of abuse and charlatanism in this area, the fact remains that the witness of miracles was essential to the growth and life of the church, and it should be today as well.
Oh Lord, help us!
Tuesday, July 4, 2017
He Can Do Miracles Today!
This morning I am reflecting on the following story from Acts 3:1-11,16 NIV:
[1] "One day Peter and John were going up to the temple at the time of prayer---at three in the afternoon. [2] Now a man who was lame from birth was being carried to the temple gate called Beautiful, where he was put every day to beg from those going into the temple courts. [3] When he saw Peter and John about to enter, he asked them for money. [4] Peter looked straight at him, as did John. Then Peter said, “Look at us!” [5] So the man gave them his attention, expecting to get something from them.
[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."
[11] "While the man held on to Peter and John, all the people were astonished and came running to them in the place called Solomon's Colonnade."
[16] "By faith in the name of Jesus, this man whom you see and know was made strong. It is Jesus' name and the faith that comes through him that has completely healed him, as you can all see."
I love this story and find it so interesting for several reasons. First, this man had been set out in front of the temple every day, and that means that likely Jesus walked right by him on a couple of occasions. If ever people wonder why some get healed and others don't sitting in the same service, I think this is a good story to point too. Jesus only did what He saw the Father doing, and the Father had a different plan for the redemption and healing of this crippled man, and it involved the Apostles. In the same way that the works Jesus did while actively ministering testified to who He was, the healing of this man testified to the fact that Jesus' authority to heal still existed, and it was in His name that Peter and John saw this man healed. What Peter had was an understanding of Jesus' authority, and faith to go along with that understanding. They had likely walked by this man on many occasions, but this time the Spirit of God stopped them and encouraged this interaction. Based on this Spiritual awareness, their faith was increased and they stepped out in faith and commanded his healing.
Secondly, the response of Peter and John to the people was very clear. They took no credit themselves, but rather directed the people's hearts and minds back to Jesus. It was through their faith in His name that the man was healed. The previously lame man likely had little to no knowledge of Jesus, and certainly didn't recognize that Peter and John were His followers and thus had no faith of his own to be healed. It was clearly the faith of Peter and John. In my mind, this is such a clear example of the need for me to press into the Lord for an increase of my own faith!
Thirdly, I love how the Lord restored the man quickly and completely! This was an instantaneous miracle, for apparently this man had never walked, leapt or danced in his entire life. The fat that he could not only walk and leap is astounding. Normally it takes people weeks or months to learn and be strong enough to walk again if they have lost the use of their legs for a considerable time, yet here the man was instantly provided both the muscles and tendons and ligaments and the ability to use them!
Fourthly, this same Holy Spirit that healed this man, lives in all of us that believe, and we can and should expect that He is able to do the same through us! For it wasn't the Apostles that healed the man, it was their faith in His name and the power of the Holy Spirit coming upon the man that healed him. That is all available to us today!
Here is an excerpt of the testimony of a man, Harold Selby, who was healed from Multiple Sclerosis at a Kathryn Kuhlman meeting back in the late 1960's in Pittsburgh, PA, as quoted in her book, "God Can Do It Again". Harold experienced something similar to the lame man, except in his case his lameness had developed as a result of his disease. He speaks of the moment he was healed:
"Then it hit, like a tidal wave—like a great whoosh! It swept through my body from head to foot. It was a sensation much like a charge of electricity passing through my total being. It started on one side of my brain and came surging down through my body. I gasped for breath and my lungs were clear. I opened my eyes and I could see clearly. I felt my legs, back, and neck gaining strength. It was as though my whole body were being pricked by pins and needles.
Vaguely, I heard Miss Kuhlman say, “Someone out there has just been healed.” I turned and looked at Arlene, but before she could say anything, I sensed it was me. When I saw one of Miss Kuhlman’s staff members making her way between the seats, I left my two canes leaning against the back of the seat and made my way past four or five people out into the aisle.
I started to take her arm for support and then I thought, I do not need to hold on, I am healed. And I was. I walked unassisted down the aisle and up the steps to the platform. “When God heals you, you are healed,” Miss Kuhlman said. “Run back down those stairs and put it to the test!”
I turned and bounded back down the steps like a school kid. I did not care what kind of spectacle I was making. When I returned to the stage, Miss Kuhlman asked if there were any present who could verify my story. Arlene came to the platform, her face wet with tears. We stood for a long time, trembling in each others arms. It was a moment I will never forget."
If this can happen in America in the 1960s, it can happen today! I am encouraged to press into the Lord, to pray for an increase in faith in His name, and an awareness of when He wants to move!
Amen!
[1] "One day Peter and John were going up to the temple at the time of prayer---at three in the afternoon. [2] Now a man who was lame from birth was being carried to the temple gate called Beautiful, where he was put every day to beg from those going into the temple courts. [3] When he saw Peter and John about to enter, he asked them for money. [4] Peter looked straight at him, as did John. Then Peter said, “Look at us!” [5] So the man gave them his attention, expecting to get something from them.
[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."
[11] "While the man held on to Peter and John, all the people were astonished and came running to them in the place called Solomon's Colonnade."
[16] "By faith in the name of Jesus, this man whom you see and know was made strong. It is Jesus' name and the faith that comes through him that has completely healed him, as you can all see."
I love this story and find it so interesting for several reasons. First, this man had been set out in front of the temple every day, and that means that likely Jesus walked right by him on a couple of occasions. If ever people wonder why some get healed and others don't sitting in the same service, I think this is a good story to point too. Jesus only did what He saw the Father doing, and the Father had a different plan for the redemption and healing of this crippled man, and it involved the Apostles. In the same way that the works Jesus did while actively ministering testified to who He was, the healing of this man testified to the fact that Jesus' authority to heal still existed, and it was in His name that Peter and John saw this man healed. What Peter had was an understanding of Jesus' authority, and faith to go along with that understanding. They had likely walked by this man on many occasions, but this time the Spirit of God stopped them and encouraged this interaction. Based on this Spiritual awareness, their faith was increased and they stepped out in faith and commanded his healing.
Secondly, the response of Peter and John to the people was very clear. They took no credit themselves, but rather directed the people's hearts and minds back to Jesus. It was through their faith in His name that the man was healed. The previously lame man likely had little to no knowledge of Jesus, and certainly didn't recognize that Peter and John were His followers and thus had no faith of his own to be healed. It was clearly the faith of Peter and John. In my mind, this is such a clear example of the need for me to press into the Lord for an increase of my own faith!
Thirdly, I love how the Lord restored the man quickly and completely! This was an instantaneous miracle, for apparently this man had never walked, leapt or danced in his entire life. The fat that he could not only walk and leap is astounding. Normally it takes people weeks or months to learn and be strong enough to walk again if they have lost the use of their legs for a considerable time, yet here the man was instantly provided both the muscles and tendons and ligaments and the ability to use them!
Fourthly, this same Holy Spirit that healed this man, lives in all of us that believe, and we can and should expect that He is able to do the same through us! For it wasn't the Apostles that healed the man, it was their faith in His name and the power of the Holy Spirit coming upon the man that healed him. That is all available to us today!
Here is an excerpt of the testimony of a man, Harold Selby, who was healed from Multiple Sclerosis at a Kathryn Kuhlman meeting back in the late 1960's in Pittsburgh, PA, as quoted in her book, "God Can Do It Again". Harold experienced something similar to the lame man, except in his case his lameness had developed as a result of his disease. He speaks of the moment he was healed:
"Then it hit, like a tidal wave—like a great whoosh! It swept through my body from head to foot. It was a sensation much like a charge of electricity passing through my total being. It started on one side of my brain and came surging down through my body. I gasped for breath and my lungs were clear. I opened my eyes and I could see clearly. I felt my legs, back, and neck gaining strength. It was as though my whole body were being pricked by pins and needles.
Vaguely, I heard Miss Kuhlman say, “Someone out there has just been healed.” I turned and looked at Arlene, but before she could say anything, I sensed it was me. When I saw one of Miss Kuhlman’s staff members making her way between the seats, I left my two canes leaning against the back of the seat and made my way past four or five people out into the aisle.
I started to take her arm for support and then I thought, I do not need to hold on, I am healed. And I was. I walked unassisted down the aisle and up the steps to the platform. “When God heals you, you are healed,” Miss Kuhlman said. “Run back down those stairs and put it to the test!”
I turned and bounded back down the steps like a school kid. I did not care what kind of spectacle I was making. When I returned to the stage, Miss Kuhlman asked if there were any present who could verify my story. Arlene came to the platform, her face wet with tears. We stood for a long time, trembling in each others arms. It was a moment I will never forget."
If this can happen in America in the 1960s, it can happen today! I am encouraged to press into the Lord, to pray for an increase in faith in His name, and an awareness of when He wants to move!
Amen!
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