Monday, November 7, 2016
Thoughts on Luke - Day 44
Luke 10: 1-16
After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them two by two ahead of him to every town and place where he was about to go. 2 He told them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field. 3 Go! I am sending you out like lambs among wolves. 4 Do not take a purse or bag or sandals; and do not greet anyone on the road.
5 “When you enter a house, first say, ‘Peace to this house.’ 6 If someone who promotes peace is there, your peace will rest on them; if not, it will return to you. 7 Stay there, eating and drinking whatever they give you, for the worker deserves his wages. Do not move around from house to house.
8 “When you enter a town and are welcomed, eat what is offered to you. 9 Heal the sick who are there and tell them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.’ 10 But when you enter a town and are not welcomed, go into its streets and say, 11 ‘Even the dust of your town we wipe from our feet as a warning to you. Yet be sure of this: The kingdom of God has come near.’ 12 I tell you, it will be more bearable on that day for Sodom than for that town.
13 “Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes. 14 But it will be more bearable for Tyre and Sidon at the judgment than for you. 15 And you, Capernaum, will you be lifted to the heavens? No, you will go down to Hades.
16 “Whoever listens to you listens to me; whoever rejects you rejects me; but whoever rejects me rejects him who sent me.”
The disciples had just been sent out, along with 60 other serious followers, to the surrounding areas to tell people about the kingdom of God. Jesus' time on Earth was drawing to a close and He was giving them a preview of what it would be like and how the gospel would spread when He was gone. Thus, we need to pay attention to this because we too live in this day and age where Jesus is not with us physically and we are commissioned to spread the gospel. What are some principles we can learn from this passage?
First, we need to go in pairs. I don't think literally go in twos but we need to not be in this alone. It is so important to have someone to lift you up when you get beat down; someone to share failures with who can empathize and pray for you, and someone who you can share successes with who will rejoice with you and remind you that it wasn't you. Even when I am eating with a fellow believer at a restaurant, I have seen myself be emboldened to share the gospel, pray, and turn my mind to spiritual things, really without even "trying". It is just a true principle of "pairs".
Second, they were sent ahead to places that Jesus was about to go. We need to realize that the salvation of souls is not dependent on us. In a sense it is, only because Paul says in Romans 10 that they can't hear the gospel unless we speak it, but when it comes right down to it, Jesus is the one coming in after the words. He is the one who saves. He is the one who transforms the hearts. We don't need to get inflated or deflated by results - it is Jesus who accomplishes that.
Third, we need to recruit. We have these visitation days at our church and the same people go out every time. I send around a list in Sunday School class for people to sign up for visitation and the same three people sign up. Jesus tells us to make this a matter of prayer because the gospel could grow exponentially if we were all involved. The whole, "What about the innocent native in Africa who has never heard?", question, is really our fault because we should have reached the whole world by now. The other thing we can do is call people and say, "I'd like to take you with me on this visit tonight. Will you go?" Maybe this would take their fear away and give them a taste of the joy that comes with reaching the lost for Christ.
Fourth, our message is politically incorrect and Satanically incorrect, and if we share the Gospel, we will be hated and rejected. But don't take it personally because they did that to Jesus. We are in a time, and I vent on this often, where Christians want to present a watered down gospel and preach a message of love that the world would actually like and embrace Christians. It's not going to happen because number one, Satan opposes the gospel and unless my theology is wrong, I believe he is still the prince of this world, and number two, we say that Jesus is the only way to God and that's offensive, and number 3 we say that there are behaviors that are wrong as if they are violating an absolute moral standard which sounds arrogant. A remnant will accept the truth but most will reject it. Don't get discouraged, just go looking for a new audience to hear. You have done your job of sharing the truth. Remember it's Jesus who does the saving. And don't get bogged down on one skeptic/cynic and spend your entire life trying to reach them. What if Satan put them there to take up all your time so you can't reach others? We are short-timers here. Be sensitive to the Spirit's leading here, I could be wrong, but that's kind of what I get from the feeling of the passage and where He says, "Don't greet anyone along the road."
Lastly, be low maintenance. Man, there are a lot of Christians out there who shoot their witnessing efforts in the foot because people don't want to be around them. Be congenial. Accept everything. Be flexible. Be deferential. Be humble. Be a blessing to the world not a drain on it. Be such a stellar citizen that although they hate your message, when push comes to shove, they would at least say, "they were a pleasure to be around".
Lord, give me opportunities to witness the good news that You have entered this world and made a way to bring us back into an eternal relationship with our creator. Help me to do this with boldness yet grace. Help me to be a good example of what I'm proclaiming. Help me not to give up when I get beat down. Deliver me from the Evil one. May others join in with me. Amen
Saturday, November 5, 2016
Thoughts on Luke - Day 43
Luke 9:57-62
As they were walking along the road, a man said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.”
58 Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.”
59 He said to another man, “Follow me.”
But he replied, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.”
60 Jesus said to him, “Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God.”
61 Still another said, “I will follow you, Lord; but first let me go back and say goodbye to my family.”
62 Jesus replied, “No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.”
Jesus has just set out for Jerusalem, the place where He will eventually get crucified and people are still wanting to jump on His bandwagon because they think it is the greatest show in town. Crowds are coming from everywhere to see demons come out of people (personally I wouldn't have wanted to be there for those because those demons are looking for other hosts), dead being raised, thousands being fed, lepers being healed, and the establishment getting rebuked. The problem is, they still didn't understand why He was here. He had come to die on a cross for their spiritual healing. Even today, people take out of context, "by His stripes we are healed", and think that that relates to our physical healing. Jesus has had enough of these "followers" and tells the kind of followers that He really wants. This relates to us today because the "in thing" in Christianity is to call oneself a "Christ follower" rather than "saved","born again","believer",Christian", or all the old terms I grew up using. Let's look at the three things that Jesus says makes up a Christ follower.
#1. Becoming a nomad or a pilgrim- Nomads move from place to place in tents. They have no designated home. Although we don't literally have to live in tents, the Bible does call our body a tent, a temporary housing for our soul. Followers of Christ see themselves as souls inside a body rather than a body with a soul. This makes all the difference in how one sees life. Also, if God tells us to move to another city, state, continent, universe, we leave. There are no such things as establishing roots as followers of Christ because our roots are in Heaven. That's where our home is. Wouldn't it be strange for a marine in Afghanistan to say, "Well, while I'm here I might as well buy a house." No, he has a nomad, pilgrim, alien mindset that this place is not his home. Also, pilgrims doesn't accrue possessions because they can't take them with them to the next place. I remember a fund raiser for some displaced Africans living in tents. They were trying to raise money for mattresses to sleep on so they wouldn't have to sleep on the hard ground. Haha. I've been on a mission trip to those people. You know what they will do? They will sell those to buy food the moment they get them. They can't take them from place to place. A Christ follower has the same mindset.
#2. Becoming single-minded rather than dualistic - What do I mean by that? The second man saw proclaiming the Kingdom of God as something to do after an Earthly task or secular task was to be performed. In the kingdom of God there is no sacred and secular - it's all sacred. I'm not a Doctor and a Christian, I'm a Christian Doctor. I don't live a secular life 6 days a week and give the 7th to the Lord. I live for God all week long. Today I have 2 hysterectomies to do. I will be at the hospital most of the morning. Then I will go to the community center and swim laps. In both of those situations, I will encounter a number of people that I can give the good news of Jesus Christ to, and I should have in the forefront of my mind to represent Him accordingly. That's what it means to be a follower of Christ. He has turned our whole lives into a ministry. I once talked to a deacon lawyer at our church and asked him if, as a lawyer, he gets to share Christ at work. He told me that he tries to separate religion from work. WRONG! Not a Christ follower!
#3 There is no plan B - Do you get married thinking, "If it doesn't work, I can always get divorced"? Do you get a tattoo and think,"I can always have it removed."? You don't follow Christ and say, "I can always go back to not following." Well I guess you can if you want to be the rocky soil. I have heard a lot of messages saying check Jesus out or try Jesus - no repentance, no change, no pain, just come and see if He isn't who He said He is. They usually refer to John 1 where Jesus says to some uncommitted, as of yet, early disciples of His, "Come and see" and they don't commit to following until the "fishers of men" passage. OK, I get that. However, they aren't "Christ followers" until they leave their nets, they are merely thrill seekers who are saying what is in it for me. They are the crowd that Jesus is trying to thin out. They are the people getting in the way so the Zaccheus-es and the 4 friends have to climb trees or put holes in roofs to get near Him. They are consumers not followers. Jesus says to them, "You are not fit for service."
Are you a follower of Christ? It's all or nothing. It's all in. "I have decided to follow Jesus, no turning back, no turning back."
As they were walking along the road, a man said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.”
58 Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.”
59 He said to another man, “Follow me.”
But he replied, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.”
60 Jesus said to him, “Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God.”
61 Still another said, “I will follow you, Lord; but first let me go back and say goodbye to my family.”
62 Jesus replied, “No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.”
Jesus has just set out for Jerusalem, the place where He will eventually get crucified and people are still wanting to jump on His bandwagon because they think it is the greatest show in town. Crowds are coming from everywhere to see demons come out of people (personally I wouldn't have wanted to be there for those because those demons are looking for other hosts), dead being raised, thousands being fed, lepers being healed, and the establishment getting rebuked. The problem is, they still didn't understand why He was here. He had come to die on a cross for their spiritual healing. Even today, people take out of context, "by His stripes we are healed", and think that that relates to our physical healing. Jesus has had enough of these "followers" and tells the kind of followers that He really wants. This relates to us today because the "in thing" in Christianity is to call oneself a "Christ follower" rather than "saved","born again","believer",Christian", or all the old terms I grew up using. Let's look at the three things that Jesus says makes up a Christ follower.
#1. Becoming a nomad or a pilgrim- Nomads move from place to place in tents. They have no designated home. Although we don't literally have to live in tents, the Bible does call our body a tent, a temporary housing for our soul. Followers of Christ see themselves as souls inside a body rather than a body with a soul. This makes all the difference in how one sees life. Also, if God tells us to move to another city, state, continent, universe, we leave. There are no such things as establishing roots as followers of Christ because our roots are in Heaven. That's where our home is. Wouldn't it be strange for a marine in Afghanistan to say, "Well, while I'm here I might as well buy a house." No, he has a nomad, pilgrim, alien mindset that this place is not his home. Also, pilgrims doesn't accrue possessions because they can't take them with them to the next place. I remember a fund raiser for some displaced Africans living in tents. They were trying to raise money for mattresses to sleep on so they wouldn't have to sleep on the hard ground. Haha. I've been on a mission trip to those people. You know what they will do? They will sell those to buy food the moment they get them. They can't take them from place to place. A Christ follower has the same mindset.
#2. Becoming single-minded rather than dualistic - What do I mean by that? The second man saw proclaiming the Kingdom of God as something to do after an Earthly task or secular task was to be performed. In the kingdom of God there is no sacred and secular - it's all sacred. I'm not a Doctor and a Christian, I'm a Christian Doctor. I don't live a secular life 6 days a week and give the 7th to the Lord. I live for God all week long. Today I have 2 hysterectomies to do. I will be at the hospital most of the morning. Then I will go to the community center and swim laps. In both of those situations, I will encounter a number of people that I can give the good news of Jesus Christ to, and I should have in the forefront of my mind to represent Him accordingly. That's what it means to be a follower of Christ. He has turned our whole lives into a ministry. I once talked to a deacon lawyer at our church and asked him if, as a lawyer, he gets to share Christ at work. He told me that he tries to separate religion from work. WRONG! Not a Christ follower!
#3 There is no plan B - Do you get married thinking, "If it doesn't work, I can always get divorced"? Do you get a tattoo and think,"I can always have it removed."? You don't follow Christ and say, "I can always go back to not following." Well I guess you can if you want to be the rocky soil. I have heard a lot of messages saying check Jesus out or try Jesus - no repentance, no change, no pain, just come and see if He isn't who He said He is. They usually refer to John 1 where Jesus says to some uncommitted, as of yet, early disciples of His, "Come and see" and they don't commit to following until the "fishers of men" passage. OK, I get that. However, they aren't "Christ followers" until they leave their nets, they are merely thrill seekers who are saying what is in it for me. They are the crowd that Jesus is trying to thin out. They are the people getting in the way so the Zaccheus-es and the 4 friends have to climb trees or put holes in roofs to get near Him. They are consumers not followers. Jesus says to them, "You are not fit for service."
Are you a follower of Christ? It's all or nothing. It's all in. "I have decided to follow Jesus, no turning back, no turning back."
Wednesday, November 2, 2016
Thoughts on Luke - Day 42
Luke 9:49-56
49 “Master,” said John, “we saw someone driving out demons in your name and we tried to stop him, because he is not one of us.”
50 “Do not stop him,” Jesus said, “for whoever is not against you is for you.”
51 As the time approached for him to be taken up to heaven, Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem. 52 And he sent messengers on ahead, who went into a Samaritan village to get things ready for him; 53 but the people there did not welcome him, because he was heading for Jerusalem. 54 When the disciples James and John saw this, they asked, “Lord, do you want us to call fire down from heaven to destroy them?” 55 But Jesus turned and rebuked them. 56 Then he and his disciples went to another village.
A lot of Doctors, when they join a practice, have to sign an exclusivity clause. That basically means that if they leave the practice they can't set up a practice within, for example, 50 miles. The reason for this is that the practice is afraid that someone might use them to steal or recruit their patients for a few years, on the practice's expense, and then start a competitive office down the street. This exclusivity clause tries to make it impractical, because of the distance, for patients to leave the practice and follow the doctor to his new location. I had a doctor do that to me in 1995 because I didn't believe in that clause. The reason I didn't believe in that is two-fold. One, the reason I came to a small town was because I wanted to go to a place where I was needed. In Orlando, where I trained, I heard constant fighting among the doctors about stealing patients and I didn't want that. I came to a county of 50,000 where I was the only OB/GYN. So why wasn't I bothered when he set up a practice 1 block away from me - because I welcomed the help. He brought in a partner and I brought one in and suddenly there were 4 of us serving the county's needs. That was a good thing! Secondly, if patients liked or felt more comfortable with the other doctor, I wanted what was best for the patients, so why would I force them to stay with me?
It seems in this passage that the disciples wanted an exclusivity clause - if you are one of the 12 or maybe even the others in our group, then you may cast out demons and use Jesus' name. Otherwise you are in danger of violating copyright laws or something to that effect. They still were seeking earthly power. They, in effect, would rather have people be demon possessed than be "treated" by someone else. They wanted to be the only game in town. Jesus in effect said, " We are too small a number to help everyone in this area. As long as they are casting out demons in my name (practicing good medicine) we can use the help. Don't stop them. You know guys, casting out demons isn't the reason why I came anyway - I came to die on the cross. So if a group of people are taking over this ministry, lets head to Jerusalem." Today, we need to be careful about saying the same thing in ministry. I can't remember which country I was in on a mission trip, but I remember the missionaries being fearful of the Pentecostals who were coming in and having an influence on the people, like they were Islam or something like that. As Baptists, we have to be careful of separating ourselves from ministries that aren't Baptist. Hey, the world needs Christ and it's a daunting task. Let's welcome the help. Let's not be the ones discouraging them or fighting with them or as we see in the next few verses, praying judgement on them.
Last night we were at a Young Life banquet. It was held at 1st Baptist Church. I saw Methodists, Presbyterians, Baptists, Pentecostals, Christian Church members all there and probably more. I don't agree with a lot of their doctrines but if they are all about winning kids for Christ, let's join hands - and we did. I think that is what Christ wants.
Tuesday, November 1, 2016
Thoughts on Luke - Day 41
Luke 9:37-48
37 The next day, when they came down from the mountain, a large crowd met him. 38 A man in the crowd called out, “Teacher, I beg you to look at my son, for he is my only child. 39 A spirit seizes him and he suddenly screams; it throws him into convulsions so that he foams at the mouth. It scarcely ever leaves him and is destroying him. 40 I begged your disciples to drive it out, but they could not.”
41 “You unbelieving and perverse generation,” Jesus replied, “how long shall I stay with you and put up with you? Bring your son here.”
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.
While everyone was marveling at all that Jesus did, he said to his disciples, 44 “Listen carefully to what I am about to tell you: The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men.” 45 But they did not understand what this meant. It was hidden from them, so that they did not grasp it, and they were afraid to ask him about it.
46 An argument started among the disciples as to which of them would be the greatest. 47 Jesus, knowing their thoughts, took a little child and had him stand beside him. 48 Then he said to them, “Whoever welcomes this little child in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me. For it is the one who is least among you all who is the greatest.”
I can vividly remember the day I gave up my privileges at UT Hospital to deliver babies. I had planned a Cesarean section on a High-Risk patient there on my afternoon off. I figured I could get there by 1:30 so I scheduled it for 2:00. By 9:00 that evening I was still waiting to do it because they kept bumping me for other emergencies or potential emergencies even though they had 3 operating rooms. Their policy was that one had to stay open at all times for an emergency so effectively they were down to two. Then when one was dirty it took them forever to have it cleaned and resterilized. And then they were delivering all premature babies in these OR's and UT was a preemie referral center. Finally by 9:00 with no end in sight, I asked the high risk doctor if they would deliver my patient. I apologized profusely to her - she hadn't eaten or drank for 21 hours - and went home and resigned the next day. Before leaving, I told the young man in charge who has since left, "I've practiced at 8 hospitals in my life and this is by far the most inefficient one I've been at. I'm not telling you this to ream you out, I'm telling you this so you can improve this place. There are better ways to do things because I've witnessed better ways and you need to make changes. This is the last time you will see me."
I felt kind of bad about that until I read this passage. Jesus was up on the mountain. He was allowed for a moment to shed his human, confining shell, visit with Moses and Elijah, hear affirmation from His father and get a taste of Heaven. He was reminded how things should and could be. Then He went down the mountain and saw how things are - sickness, demons, injuries, desperation, hopelessness, unbelief, and basically preoccupation with everything that 100 years from now wouldn't matter. But certainly the men whom He handpicked and had spent all his time with and demonstrated His power to - they would certainly be a bright spot in the midst of this, right? No! They were just as bad as the others and even were arguing about who would be greatest. Plus, when He told them about the future, they didn't comprehend it. Jesus, in a rare moment of frustration, rebukes them all for their unbelief and lack of faith and exclaims, "How long am I going to have to put up with you!" Unlike me, though, He doesn't say ,"I'm leaving". He comes back and graciously puts up with their power struggles by giving them a gentle talk about servanthood.
What's my point? I guess it would be, it's ok to get frustrated occasionally. It's ok to even get mad sometimes as Jesus did at the sellers in the temple. This world is not the way it should be. We look at God's word and we see a better future in Revelation. We see ideal behavior in The Sermon on the Mount. We know there is a better way, yet all around us people are bickering, complaining, gossiping, hating, lying - we have an election in America right now where both candidates are evil. What do we do? Unlike me at UT, we can't throw up our hands and say, "I quit". With longsuffering given to us by the Holy Spirit, we dig in our heals and gently and graciously continue to serve and teach about the Kingdom of God as we eagerly await for His return. Unlike Jesus, though, we don't have to die on a cross to see that day - He did that for us. Trust in Him and you will see the Kingdom of God.
Lord, give me longsuffering. It is not in me. And help me to be the solution to the problem, not the problem itself. Amen
37 The next day, when they came down from the mountain, a large crowd met him. 38 A man in the crowd called out, “Teacher, I beg you to look at my son, for he is my only child. 39 A spirit seizes him and he suddenly screams; it throws him into convulsions so that he foams at the mouth. It scarcely ever leaves him and is destroying him. 40 I begged your disciples to drive it out, but they could not.”
41 “You unbelieving and perverse generation,” Jesus replied, “how long shall I stay with you and put up with you? Bring your son here.”
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.
While everyone was marveling at all that Jesus did, he said to his disciples, 44 “Listen carefully to what I am about to tell you: The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men.” 45 But they did not understand what this meant. It was hidden from them, so that they did not grasp it, and they were afraid to ask him about it.
46 An argument started among the disciples as to which of them would be the greatest. 47 Jesus, knowing their thoughts, took a little child and had him stand beside him. 48 Then he said to them, “Whoever welcomes this little child in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me. For it is the one who is least among you all who is the greatest.”
I can vividly remember the day I gave up my privileges at UT Hospital to deliver babies. I had planned a Cesarean section on a High-Risk patient there on my afternoon off. I figured I could get there by 1:30 so I scheduled it for 2:00. By 9:00 that evening I was still waiting to do it because they kept bumping me for other emergencies or potential emergencies even though they had 3 operating rooms. Their policy was that one had to stay open at all times for an emergency so effectively they were down to two. Then when one was dirty it took them forever to have it cleaned and resterilized. And then they were delivering all premature babies in these OR's and UT was a preemie referral center. Finally by 9:00 with no end in sight, I asked the high risk doctor if they would deliver my patient. I apologized profusely to her - she hadn't eaten or drank for 21 hours - and went home and resigned the next day. Before leaving, I told the young man in charge who has since left, "I've practiced at 8 hospitals in my life and this is by far the most inefficient one I've been at. I'm not telling you this to ream you out, I'm telling you this so you can improve this place. There are better ways to do things because I've witnessed better ways and you need to make changes. This is the last time you will see me."
I felt kind of bad about that until I read this passage. Jesus was up on the mountain. He was allowed for a moment to shed his human, confining shell, visit with Moses and Elijah, hear affirmation from His father and get a taste of Heaven. He was reminded how things should and could be. Then He went down the mountain and saw how things are - sickness, demons, injuries, desperation, hopelessness, unbelief, and basically preoccupation with everything that 100 years from now wouldn't matter. But certainly the men whom He handpicked and had spent all his time with and demonstrated His power to - they would certainly be a bright spot in the midst of this, right? No! They were just as bad as the others and even were arguing about who would be greatest. Plus, when He told them about the future, they didn't comprehend it. Jesus, in a rare moment of frustration, rebukes them all for their unbelief and lack of faith and exclaims, "How long am I going to have to put up with you!" Unlike me, though, He doesn't say ,"I'm leaving". He comes back and graciously puts up with their power struggles by giving them a gentle talk about servanthood.
What's my point? I guess it would be, it's ok to get frustrated occasionally. It's ok to even get mad sometimes as Jesus did at the sellers in the temple. This world is not the way it should be. We look at God's word and we see a better future in Revelation. We see ideal behavior in The Sermon on the Mount. We know there is a better way, yet all around us people are bickering, complaining, gossiping, hating, lying - we have an election in America right now where both candidates are evil. What do we do? Unlike me at UT, we can't throw up our hands and say, "I quit". With longsuffering given to us by the Holy Spirit, we dig in our heals and gently and graciously continue to serve and teach about the Kingdom of God as we eagerly await for His return. Unlike Jesus, though, we don't have to die on a cross to see that day - He did that for us. Trust in Him and you will see the Kingdom of God.
Lord, give me longsuffering. It is not in me. And help me to be the solution to the problem, not the problem itself. Amen
Thursday, October 27, 2016
Thoughts on Luke - Day 40
Luke 9:27-36
Jesus said, "Truly I tell you, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the kingdom of God."
28 About eight days after Jesus said this, he took Peter, John and James with him and went up onto a mountain to pray. 29 As he was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became as bright as a flash of lightning. 30 Two men, Moses and Elijah, appeared in glorious splendor, talking with Jesus. 31 They spoke about his departure, which he was about to bring to fulfillment at Jerusalem. 32 Peter and his companions were very sleepy, but when they became fully awake, they saw his glory and the two men standing with him. 33 As the men were leaving Jesus, Peter said to him, “Master, it is good for us to be here. Let us put up three shelters—one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.” (He did not know what he was saying.)
34 While he was speaking, a cloud appeared and covered them, and they were afraid as they entered the cloud. 35 A voice came from the cloud, saying, “This is my Son, whom I have chosen; listen to him.” 36 When the voice had spoken, they found that Jesus was alone. The disciples kept this to themselves and did not tell anyone at that time what they had seen.
We often suggest certain guys to our single daughter, guys that have liked her Facebook posts or pictures on Instagram and we "stalk" them to see if they are potentials or "bonafide" as they would say in O Brother Where Art Thou. There is always some factor that we aren't seeing on a screen that, in person, have kept her from having those kind of feelings for them. She sees them in a different light than we do. I often think that if we could pay a half dozen girls to swoon over the guy or talk in her presence about how hot the guy is, maybe she would start seeing him in a different light just like say a People Magazine can tell us who is beautiful or best dressed and we believe them.
Jesus had a similar problem with the disciples.They needed to see Him in a different light. As we saw in the last verses, Peter had a wrong view of Jesus - he saw Him as a Earthly deliverer, the one who would deliver the Jews from the Romans. They couldn't even hear Him when He said He would suffer and be crucified because that didn't register in their view of Him. Therefore, He took His three closest guys up a mountain to give them a glimpse of who He really was. They needed to get a different view of Him. He wasn't just some anointed man who was endowed with special abilities by God - like healing the sick, raising the dead, calming the storm, feeding 5000 people - in order that He could deliver the Jews from the Romans, but He was God, covering up His glory with a human body. He wasn't another Moses who could turn the Nile into blood and part the seas in order to deliver the Jews from earthly bondage, He was God come to deliver His people from spiritual bondage. The problem is always, given the choice of Earthly deliverance or spiritual deliverance, people will usually pick the first. We are more concerned with our bodies than our souls.
We too need a new view of Jesus. He isn't here to deliver us from sickness, poverty, left wing oppression, or the back pain I'm having this morning. He just might do that, but as God, He has come to transform me from the inside out. He has put His Spirit inside of me to glow so the world can see God in a new light. I am to influence people today that Jesus is awesome and proclaim His glory so that people might receive Him for the salvation of their souls.
Lord, help me shine your light to a lost world. Help me to see with your eyes, past the Kingdom of Earth, into the Kingdom of Heaven. Help me to live for eternity and with open eyes and open ears see you and hear You more clearly, and fall deeper in love with You. Amen
Jesus said, "Truly I tell you, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the kingdom of God."
28 About eight days after Jesus said this, he took Peter, John and James with him and went up onto a mountain to pray. 29 As he was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became as bright as a flash of lightning. 30 Two men, Moses and Elijah, appeared in glorious splendor, talking with Jesus. 31 They spoke about his departure, which he was about to bring to fulfillment at Jerusalem. 32 Peter and his companions were very sleepy, but when they became fully awake, they saw his glory and the two men standing with him. 33 As the men were leaving Jesus, Peter said to him, “Master, it is good for us to be here. Let us put up three shelters—one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.” (He did not know what he was saying.)
34 While he was speaking, a cloud appeared and covered them, and they were afraid as they entered the cloud. 35 A voice came from the cloud, saying, “This is my Son, whom I have chosen; listen to him.” 36 When the voice had spoken, they found that Jesus was alone. The disciples kept this to themselves and did not tell anyone at that time what they had seen.
We often suggest certain guys to our single daughter, guys that have liked her Facebook posts or pictures on Instagram and we "stalk" them to see if they are potentials or "bonafide" as they would say in O Brother Where Art Thou. There is always some factor that we aren't seeing on a screen that, in person, have kept her from having those kind of feelings for them. She sees them in a different light than we do. I often think that if we could pay a half dozen girls to swoon over the guy or talk in her presence about how hot the guy is, maybe she would start seeing him in a different light just like say a People Magazine can tell us who is beautiful or best dressed and we believe them.
Jesus had a similar problem with the disciples.They needed to see Him in a different light. As we saw in the last verses, Peter had a wrong view of Jesus - he saw Him as a Earthly deliverer, the one who would deliver the Jews from the Romans. They couldn't even hear Him when He said He would suffer and be crucified because that didn't register in their view of Him. Therefore, He took His three closest guys up a mountain to give them a glimpse of who He really was. They needed to get a different view of Him. He wasn't just some anointed man who was endowed with special abilities by God - like healing the sick, raising the dead, calming the storm, feeding 5000 people - in order that He could deliver the Jews from the Romans, but He was God, covering up His glory with a human body. He wasn't another Moses who could turn the Nile into blood and part the seas in order to deliver the Jews from earthly bondage, He was God come to deliver His people from spiritual bondage. The problem is always, given the choice of Earthly deliverance or spiritual deliverance, people will usually pick the first. We are more concerned with our bodies than our souls.
We too need a new view of Jesus. He isn't here to deliver us from sickness, poverty, left wing oppression, or the back pain I'm having this morning. He just might do that, but as God, He has come to transform me from the inside out. He has put His Spirit inside of me to glow so the world can see God in a new light. I am to influence people today that Jesus is awesome and proclaim His glory so that people might receive Him for the salvation of their souls.
Lord, help me shine your light to a lost world. Help me to see with your eyes, past the Kingdom of Earth, into the Kingdom of Heaven. Help me to live for eternity and with open eyes and open ears see you and hear You more clearly, and fall deeper in love with You. Amen
Sunday, October 23, 2016
Thoughts on Luke - Day 39
Luke 9:18-26
Once when Jesus was praying in private and his disciples were with him, he asked them, “Who do the crowds say I am?”
19 They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, that one of the prophets of long ago has come back to life.”
20 “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?”
Peter answered, “God’s Messiah."
21 Jesus strictly warned them not to tell this to anyone. 22 And he said, “The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.”
23 Then he said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. 24 For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will save it. 25 What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit their very self? 26 Whoever is ashamed of me and my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of them when he comes in his glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.
"Who do you say Jesus is?" - is still a relevant question 2000 years later. Some say He is a mythical character. Well... there is more documentation out there from extra-biblical sources that He did exist, than any other historical figure. Not only that but look at the calendar - B.C. and A.D. Seems pretty clear that not a whole lot of thought went into that view of Jesus. Some say He is a good teacher or prophet. The problem with that is that a good man would not claim to be God - that would make Him an egomaniac, crazy, or a liar - and it's doubtful that a liar would take that lie all the way to a cross. Plus, He proved He was God by (vs.21-23) predicting His death, including how he would die, and that He would come back from the dead 3 days later and pulled it off.
We have to consider the fact that He just might be the Son of God sent from Heaven to save us. This is what Peter came up with but as we see from other passages, even that conclusion was arrived at with the help of the Holy Spirit. But even in that answer, I wonder what he meant by Messiah. After all, the predominant view was that a Messiah would come to deliver God's people in a physical, earthly way rather than a spiritual, heavenly way. Peter, as seen in other gospels, actually rebukes Jesus when He talks about being captured and dying. That was certainly not in the Messiah's agenda, he thought. In the last few verses Jesus explains that, yes He has come to deliver, but it is a different kind of deliverance. It is a deliverance of the soul. It comes when one quits living for self and dies to self and lives for Jesus.
As I recall the parable of the soils a few verses back, the difference in the soils stems from who they think Jesus is - this very question that Jesus asks them. Those that don't believe that He is God are the path. The conviction of the Holy Spirit does not get through to them. Those that believe that He is God, died for their sins and trusted Him for forgiveness but are still living for their own agenda, are the rocky or thorny soil. Peter is an example of this. He sees Christ as an Earthly benefactor and Jesus says that until you see that it is all about Him and not about us, we can't be His disciple. We can't be a follower of Jesus like that because we are actually asking Him to follow us.
Have you understood this yet? This is what repentance is - an about face following Him rather than asking Him into your heart and continuing to live for yourself asking His divine blessing. That kind of salvation is no salvation at all. That is why the road is so narrow. Are you on that narrow road which goes against the flow and everything that the world is telling you?
Lord, it is a daily dying to self I must experience because I keep wanting to get back on the throne. Forgive me! I surrender to You again today. Amen
Monday, October 17, 2016
Thoughts on Luke - Day 38
Luke 9:1-17
When Jesus had called the Twelve together, he gave them power and authority to drive out all demons and to cure diseases, 2 and he sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal the sick. 3 He told them: “Take nothing for the journey—no staff, no bag, no bread, no money, no extra shirt. 4 Whatever house you enter, stay there until you leave that town. 5 If people do not welcome you, leave their town and shake the dust off your feet as a testimony against them.” 6 So they set out and went from village to village, proclaiming the good news and healing people everywhere.
7 Now Herod the tetrarch heard about all that was going on. And he was perplexed because some were saying that John had been raised from the dead, 8 others that Elijah had appeared, and still others that one of the prophets of long ago had come back to life. 9 But Herod said, “I beheaded John. Who, then, is this I hear such things about?” And he tried to see him.
10 When the apostles returned, they reported to Jesus what they had done. Then he took them with him and they withdrew by themselves to a town called Bethsaida, 11 but the crowds learned about it and followed him. He welcomed them and spoke to them about the kingdom of God, and healed those who needed healing.
12 Late in the afternoon the Twelve came to him and said, “Send the crowd away so they can go to the surrounding villages and countryside and find food and lodging, because we are in a remote place here.”
13 He replied, “You give them something to eat.”
They answered, “We have only five loaves of bread and two fish—unless we go and buy food for all this crowd.” 14 (About five thousand men were there.)
But he said to his disciples, “Have them sit down in groups of about fifty each.” 15 The disciples did so, and everyone sat down. 16 Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke them. Then he gave them to the disciples to distribute to the people. 17 They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over.
Have you ever thought you were good at something and then enter the presence of a master at that thing you thought you were good at. There have been some things like that in my life. I thought I was good at tennis until I played a person that returned my first serve so hard (and I thought my first serve was unreturnable) that I never touched it. I don't think I scored a point the whole set. Same thing happened to me in ping pong. I thought I could play the guitar OK until I sat in the presence of a master guitar player. Frankly, these experiences made me want to give up all three endeavors. Some people, it motivates to practice more and get better. Me - I say what's the use, I'll just follow them and watch them and enjoy their expertise.
I'm intrigued by this passage in that Jesus gives the disciples some gifts like healing and casting out demons. We aren't told if He took them back or they were permanent, although Acts seems to say that these gifts persisted. I get the impression though that these gifts may have gone to their heads. Maybe not but it says that they wanted to tell Jesus what they had done. I can just imagine what that would have looked like if it had happened. I think it may have turned into a "can you top this" time of sharing knowing what we know about the disciples. Jesus quickly taught them two things. First of all He taught them servanthood - it's not about them, it's about the people they can help with those gifts. They wanted to sit around and rest, eat, possibly brag, and revel in successes but Jesus says basically that as long as there are people to serve we must keep serving because the gifts we have are not about us but about using them to help others. It appears to me that they were making up excuses to get rid of the people and Jesus won't let them. He turns the disciples into waitors and bus boys and ushers to humble them. In this serving they were able to get a glimpse of how great God is.
Which leads me to the second point which I started this blog out with. They not only learned servanthood and that life and gifts are not about them, but they also learned humility. They saw God take care of their own needs like food when they were out on their own, but they never envisioned taking 5 loaves and 2 fish and feeding 5000 men (probably double that in total numbers) with that food. Suddenly what they had done seemed miniscule. Maybe they even realized that the little that they had done was only by the power of God given to them. Maybe they realized that they were nothing compared to Him. Maybe some of them decided, "You know what, I'm just going to follow Him and carry His bags and watch what He does because I am unworthy. Who am I compared to Him."
Am I, are you, using the spiritual gifts that God has given you, to serve others or my(your)self? Are we using them with all our strength or are we penciling in time where they can be used. Are we taking credit for them and getting a big head because we think we are something? If so, we need to get a glimpse of who God is and how big He is and marvel in His power and glory until we see ourselves in proper perspective.
Lord, thank you for the gifts you've given me. Help me to serve others tirelessly with them and in humility knowing that they come from You and I am nothing compared to You. Amen
When Jesus had called the Twelve together, he gave them power and authority to drive out all demons and to cure diseases, 2 and he sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal the sick. 3 He told them: “Take nothing for the journey—no staff, no bag, no bread, no money, no extra shirt. 4 Whatever house you enter, stay there until you leave that town. 5 If people do not welcome you, leave their town and shake the dust off your feet as a testimony against them.” 6 So they set out and went from village to village, proclaiming the good news and healing people everywhere.
7 Now Herod the tetrarch heard about all that was going on. And he was perplexed because some were saying that John had been raised from the dead, 8 others that Elijah had appeared, and still others that one of the prophets of long ago had come back to life. 9 But Herod said, “I beheaded John. Who, then, is this I hear such things about?” And he tried to see him.
10 When the apostles returned, they reported to Jesus what they had done. Then he took them with him and they withdrew by themselves to a town called Bethsaida, 11 but the crowds learned about it and followed him. He welcomed them and spoke to them about the kingdom of God, and healed those who needed healing.
12 Late in the afternoon the Twelve came to him and said, “Send the crowd away so they can go to the surrounding villages and countryside and find food and lodging, because we are in a remote place here.”
13 He replied, “You give them something to eat.”
They answered, “We have only five loaves of bread and two fish—unless we go and buy food for all this crowd.” 14 (About five thousand men were there.)
But he said to his disciples, “Have them sit down in groups of about fifty each.” 15 The disciples did so, and everyone sat down. 16 Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke them. Then he gave them to the disciples to distribute to the people. 17 They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over.
Have you ever thought you were good at something and then enter the presence of a master at that thing you thought you were good at. There have been some things like that in my life. I thought I was good at tennis until I played a person that returned my first serve so hard (and I thought my first serve was unreturnable) that I never touched it. I don't think I scored a point the whole set. Same thing happened to me in ping pong. I thought I could play the guitar OK until I sat in the presence of a master guitar player. Frankly, these experiences made me want to give up all three endeavors. Some people, it motivates to practice more and get better. Me - I say what's the use, I'll just follow them and watch them and enjoy their expertise.
I'm intrigued by this passage in that Jesus gives the disciples some gifts like healing and casting out demons. We aren't told if He took them back or they were permanent, although Acts seems to say that these gifts persisted. I get the impression though that these gifts may have gone to their heads. Maybe not but it says that they wanted to tell Jesus what they had done. I can just imagine what that would have looked like if it had happened. I think it may have turned into a "can you top this" time of sharing knowing what we know about the disciples. Jesus quickly taught them two things. First of all He taught them servanthood - it's not about them, it's about the people they can help with those gifts. They wanted to sit around and rest, eat, possibly brag, and revel in successes but Jesus says basically that as long as there are people to serve we must keep serving because the gifts we have are not about us but about using them to help others. It appears to me that they were making up excuses to get rid of the people and Jesus won't let them. He turns the disciples into waitors and bus boys and ushers to humble them. In this serving they were able to get a glimpse of how great God is.
Which leads me to the second point which I started this blog out with. They not only learned servanthood and that life and gifts are not about them, but they also learned humility. They saw God take care of their own needs like food when they were out on their own, but they never envisioned taking 5 loaves and 2 fish and feeding 5000 men (probably double that in total numbers) with that food. Suddenly what they had done seemed miniscule. Maybe they even realized that the little that they had done was only by the power of God given to them. Maybe they realized that they were nothing compared to Him. Maybe some of them decided, "You know what, I'm just going to follow Him and carry His bags and watch what He does because I am unworthy. Who am I compared to Him."
Am I, are you, using the spiritual gifts that God has given you, to serve others or my(your)self? Are we using them with all our strength or are we penciling in time where they can be used. Are we taking credit for them and getting a big head because we think we are something? If so, we need to get a glimpse of who God is and how big He is and marvel in His power and glory until we see ourselves in proper perspective.
Lord, thank you for the gifts you've given me. Help me to serve others tirelessly with them and in humility knowing that they come from You and I am nothing compared to You. Amen
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