Is Jesus the One?

Luke 7:13a
“And and blessed is he who is not offended because of Me.”

I chose this photo because unlike John, my path and ministry are not yet complete....

The end of one’s life-work is always a difficult time, and John the Baptist was facing that reality in his own life.  Obviously, he has known that his work was to prepare the way for the Messiah, and in this passage, we find John in prison with his public ministry and message of repentance silenced and probably ended.  Information came to John about all that Jesus had done and was doing.  So John, from his silent and solitary place in prison, sent two of his disciples to ask Jesus if He were indeed the One about whom John had preached.

Jesus’ remarkable answer is not just a simple “yes,” but he demonstrated His power as the Anointed Messiah by healing the sick and lepers, restoring sight to the blind and hearing to the deaf, raising the dead, and preaching the gospel to the poor.  The proof of Jesus’ identity as the “Coming One” was in the works that completely fulfilled Scripture (see Isaiah 35:5-6; 61:1).

A person can make any claim, but the proof of one’s reality is in his alignment with God’s Word.  No matter how good a man’s message may sound, it must be completely consistent with and supported by God’s Word.  Anything short of that is false and worthless.

In these events, I also see the mercy of God.  When Jesus came and John’s ministry was complete, God took John home to Glory.  God did not leave John to languish or to labor on in futility for a task that was already complete, but He called John “out of the game.”  I have seen similar examples of this mercy throughout my life that God often removes His servant when their work is finished.

Since I am still here, I must continue in the work He has for me to do.  I pray for His power and wisdom to keep on going.

Coram deo

Jesus' Grace in Every Situation

Luke 7:13a
“And when the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her….”

I have come to a remarkable reinforcement of the purpose of grace as it is shown in this passage.  I must remember that I am not alone either in my personal situations or in Jesus' purpose for my life.

First, let me look at the incident in its contexts.  In comparison to the healing of the centurion’s servant, this account of the raising of the widow’s son at Nain shows some remarkable similarities and contrasts in the conditions Jesus encountered and in His responses.

·         No request was made of Jesus in the widow’s situation.  The widow with her mourners simply encounters Jesus and the His followers almost as if by accident or coincidence.  It is obvious that she is on her way to bury her son and is not seeking Jesus, she makes no request of Him, and she makes expressions of faith.

·         The motivation and actions of Jesus are on full display.  The text states that Jesus had compassion on her.  She did not know Jesus, but Jesus was fully aware of her situation and her sorrow.  In His compassion, Jesus told the woman not to weep.

Note: the word used here of Jesus’ compassion is – σπλαγχνίζομαι – splagchizomai, literally to be moved in one’s bowels.  The verb is in the middle voice with indicates that this compassion was completely internal to Jesus meaning He created this compassion in Himself.  Interestingly, this word is only used in the Gospels and only used in direct reference to Jesus.

·         Jesus touched the open coffin which would render Him ceremonially unclean.  In the same way, He would have been unclean had he entered the house of the centurion.  When Jesus raised the dead man and healed the centurion’s servant, the requirements of the law and custom were rendered moot.

·         Jesus spoke to the dead man, whereas He never met the centurion’s servant.  Here Jesus was directly involved working in the personal presence of the one in need.

Sometimes Jesus responds to our prayers as with the centurion, and at other times He responds to our situation as with the widow when we do not even know to pray and have no hope or expectation of relief.  Though this was a remarkable event for the young man, we must also see that the young man was not raised to meet his own need of life but to meet the needs of his mother.  Often the blessings of God in our lives are there for the ultimate benefit of someone else to whom we must minister.

My prayer is that I will have eyes to see God’s purpose in His blessing that stretch beyond my own satisfaction and relief.  By His grace, I must minister in the lives of those around me. 

God’s grace is NEVER for selfish, personal consumption but for His glory and His service.

Coram deo

Necessity of Authority

Luke 7:6b-8
“Lord, do not trouble Yourself, for I am not worthy that You should enter under my roof. ⁷ Therefore I did not even think myself worthy to come to You. But say the word, and my servant will be healed. ⁸ For I also am a man placed under authority, having soldiers under me. And I say to one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes; and to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.”

I addressed this centurion’s faith last week, so I won’t copy or restate what I wrote then, but there is one other observation I must make.  Forgive me for wading into this, but I believe that what I see in the centurion underscores the missing reverence and submission that should be central to our worship and service to Jesus Christ.  Though I may state this badly, I firmly believe that our society is robbing us of our ability to understand what a right relationship to a holy God can and should be.

It is my belief that our democratic, “level” society make it difficult for us to fully appreciate and relate to the majesty and authority of Jesus Christ.  Our egalitarian society is completely unsuited to prepare us for a correct relationship with the complete sovereignty of God.  Though we have been made sons of God in Christ – born again and adopted – that still leaves us far from equal with God in any measure and does not make us independent of His sovereignty.

The centurion was remarkable for his recognition of authority and how authority works in both the physical and the spiritual realities.  In our “classless” American culture, we pride ourselves on being an authority unto ourselves, but the relationship of authority under God still applies in our spiritual lives.  Our culture and education promote our individuality and rights and teach us to be suspicious of authority.  That inability to sufficiently respond to natural authority robs us of the full blessings of submission and obedience to Christ.

The Father has given Jesus Christ all authority so that Jesus’ word is sovereign in both the physical and spiritual worlds.  Our response to Him must be absolute submission and obedience.  No matter how our society has changed and reordered our physical relationships, that relationship of Lord and slave remains.  Thank God it does.

Coram deo

Galations 2:20 - Seeing the Universe by Faith

Galatians 2:20
I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.

In its immediate context, this verse is part of a series of very sharp contrasts that Paul uses to show the marked difference between law and grace in salvation and in sanctification.  The contrasts include:

·         Law                                        / Grace

·         Crucifixion and death     / Life and living

·         Flesh                                     / Faith

·         Sin                                          / Justification

There is much that needs to be said about this verse, but everything we say begins with an understanding of faith.  To begin, we must understand that Paul is addressing the fact that we all live in two separate universes – the universe of time and matter, the physical universe; and the universe of eternity, the spiritual universe.  This may sound mystical, but it is not.  The Bible is very clear that we have both a physical and a spiritual existence.  We understand and perceive the physical universe through our senses as part of our flesh.  The flesh, being physical, relates and communicates with the physical reality.  All men are created by God and also exist in a spiritual universe – we admit this by saying we are “spiritual beings.”  That spiritual universe and reality, however, is beyond human perception.  We cannot see or know the spiritual universe through physical senses.  We see and know the spiritual only as God reveals that universe to us. 

When we died with Christ by faith, in faith we became alive in the spiritual reality of this new relationship.  Being made alive in Christ by faith, through that faith our spiritual understanding and ability to see suddenly came alive in Him.  For the redeemed, faith is as much a mode of perception into the spiritual reality as sight is our perception of the physical world.  Faith is the mode of spiritual perception.
That being true – that faith is the spiritual mode of perception – the believer by faith can now “see” spiritual reality as well as the physical and can compare the two very real universes in which he exists.  The spiritual universe which is eternal is also the reality in which we died with Christ on the cross and were made alive by His resurrection.  By the death and resurrection of Jesus, we are now alive by faith in both the spiritual universe which is primary and in the physical universe which is immediate.  It is the primacy of our life with Christ that must govern our priorities and decisions in our immediate, day-to-day physical life.
Coram deo

The Path to Revival?

Is this the right path?

I have been forced by Scripture and other books I have read to revisit this question – What is true revival? 

Let me begin with this – the evidence of revival is the outpouring of the Holy Spirit in a church that results in numbers of Christians growing in their faith and service and the church growing by unusual numbers of additions of lost men and women coming to Christ.  Accepting that definition, here are some of my own observations regarding revival:

1.       When revival happens, the fact is not recognized as such by the people involved.

2.       Revival is not a corporate enterprise, but is the evidence of one or more individuals who are filled with the Holy Spirit and sold out to the service of Jesus Christ.

3.       Revival does not come to a church or congregation by being sought as revival.  Praying for revival doesn’t start a revival.

4.       When a church begins to view itself as exceptional because of the work of the Holy Spirit, the work ceases to be blessed by the Holy Spirit and its effectiveness and growth begin to decline – revival over.

From these observations, I conclude that revival is the infectious filling by the Holy Spirit of a believer to do the work of Jesus Christ.  My conviction is that revival is first of all an intensely personal and individual experience and responsibility.  If the Holy Spirit chooses, that individual filling may become infectious spreading to other Christians.  If one accepts that definition and observation, then the key to revival is the individual believer’s being filled by the Holy Spirit.  The problem in churches is not simply the lack of revival.  That is only a symptom of leadership and congregations that operate apart from the power and filling of the Holy Spirit.

Remedy – individual believers, you and I, must be filled with the Holy Spirit.  To be filled with the Holy Spirit, we must come to the place where our lives and wills meet the following:

1.       No unconfessed sin in our lives – no sin for which we have not honestly repented.  This includes both actions and attitudes.

2.       No expectations of outcome – we cannot be filled by the Holy Spirit if we expect the Spirit to accomplish some set of predetermined outcomes such as:

a.       Expectation to remain in or attain to a specific ministry or service either by position or physical location

b.      Expectation to maintain or expand one’s current lifestyle

c.       Expectation to retain relationships – personal, professional, social – one must love Jesus more than anything or anyone

d.      Expectation for specific performance or “blessing” of one’s ministry whatever that ministry may be

3.       An unreserved desire to know Jesus through His word and by obedience to His will

4.       A realization that “all hell will break loose” literally and biblically, but also assured that the believer has the armor to face the enemy

I have come to the place where I know this, but knowing it scares me to death!  But, I am determined to be deliberately Christian knowing the price for saying so.

Great Faith in a Strange Place

Luke 7:1-10

This story of the healing of the centurion’s servant (also Matthew 8:5-13) concludes with Jesus’ declaration that He had not found such great faith even in Israel.  That reality and Jesus’ public recognition is important, but what about this man’s faith was so great?

Three elements of the centurion’s faith stand out from this passage.

1.       His faith recognized Jesus and His authority (v.8).  The Greek word is – ἐξουσία, “exousia” – lit. “power of choice, right.”  This is the same word Jesus used in Matthew 28:18 when He spoke of His own authority, “power” (KJV).  In fact, this Roman soldier had a better grasp of the true nature of Jesus Christ and His divine authority than even Jesus’ own disciples did.

2.       His faith recognized political, social, and cultural realities especially of race and religion, but it also recognized that by working within those situations Jesus could accomplish His will in spite of the limits and problems in society.

3.       This man’s faith responded in obedience to the word of Jesus before he saw the results of Jesus’ work in his situation.

Simply put, Faith responds in obedience to the Word of God because of Jesus’ authority whether or not the results of obedience are obvious or the conclusion is in view.  So should my faith be!

Coram deo

OK - Let's Do This!

Jesus closed this discourse with the same illustration He used in the Sermon on the Mount – the two men, one wise and one foolish, who built their houses with different foundations.  The action that the foundation building process represents is one’s obedience to the “sayings” of Jesus (v. 47).  In both this discourse and the Sermon in Matthew 5-7, Jesus emphasized that to call Him “Lord” was validated by obedience to His word.

This parable does not need deep analysis because I already know what obedience is, and I have the clear teaching of Jesus to instruct me.  OK – Let’s do this! 

The storm is coming and only the truly obedient lives will remain.  Though he may not know the depths of Scripture, no true believer in Jesus Christ can honestly claim he does not know what Jesus expects him to do today.

Coram deo

Fresh Insight to an Old Problem

 

Last night, I finished reading James Barry Babb’s book, Post Cards From Another Gospel.  This was for me a profoundly insightful and at the same time unsettling book.  When I read books and articles that point out the divergence between the biblical gospel message and the contemporary message of the church, my first reaction is to see problems in areas of the church in general while ignoring the problems that might be my own.  This is the familiar mote and beam problem from Luke 6:41-42.

As a result, however, of Babb’s book, I have been forced to look at my own life and message in the stark light of historical biblical truth.  Among the many things that I found important to me, two in particular stand out.

1.      Moralistic Therapeutic Deism – Though I deny it’s tenets on every level, this “de facto-theology” has begun to influence my life and what I teach.  Deism is a heresy, but in practical, everyday ways I have begun to live as if Jesus Christ may not be involved in the details of my life.  I tend to become so focused on myself and so much in control of what I do and its results that I excuse God to go elsewhere and help those in real need of divine influence.

In this, I know I am not alone!  Heaven help us!

2.      Grace of Repentance – Knowing that grace is the enablement and motivation of a sovereign God given to us to accomplish His work, I seldom connect that grace with my own personal need to repent.  That problem may come from my own tendency to see sin, especially my own sin, as less important and less “sinful” that it really is.

What I discovered is, however, that the application and teaching of repentance is vital for both genuine salvation and effective spiritual growth in grace.

Those of us who seek to call ourselves by the name of Christ must daily devote ourselves to personal repentance or we will find that unconfessed sin creeps in and strangles the power of the Holy Spirit in our personal lives and in our churches.

Remember, the parable of Jesus about the mote and the plank in the eye was spoken to His disciples.

Coram deo

No Good Path for a Blind Man

Luke 6:39-42

The parable that concludes this discourse has two illustrations both dealing with vision.

·     The blind leading the blind - don’t follow someone who is blind himself

·     The speck or plank in the eye – don’t try to help someone when you have significant problems of your own

 

Sandwiched between these two parables is Jesus’ statement about the purpose of discipleship which it gives greater meaning to His parables.  The goal of discipleship is to become like the teacher, the Master.  In order to be like the teacher the disciple has two responsibilities that are shown in the parables.

1.   The exclusivity of Jesus the Teacher – don’t follow anyone who is blind.  This implies that the disciple himself is also blind.  Jesus is the light by which we walk (John 8:12, 9:5).  Jesus also gives sight to His disciples, for He alone is the one who gives sight to blind eyes.  As the disciple follows the Light, he then becomes a lesser light (Matthew 5:15).

2.   The focus of discipleship – take care of yourself first.  Being a disciple of Jesus Christ requires that one first applies what he is learning to himself!  Ultimately, the disciple who is following Jesus should turn to help others, but he must first insure that he has accomplished the teaching of the Master.  Perhaps one could say, “a little learning is a dangerous thing,” especially if that lesson has not been personally applied first.

I find this passage intensely personal.  I have been so anxious to put these “thoughts” up on the I’net that I am in danger of failing to apply what I am learning to myself.  I am extremely well practiced in seeing the application of Scripture for others.  Father, I must apply Thy word firs to my own life.

Coram deo

The Dawn Begins to Break

Luke 6:39-40, continued from yesterday, 1-10-2012

Though everything I wrote yesterday is true and reasonable, it is not the point of the parable.  When seen in its context, this parable is explained by the next verse.  In verse 40, Jesus declared the need for disciples to follow their teacher/Master, and their goal is to be like their teacher (see also Matthew 10:24-25).  The blind leading the blind refers to those who try to discover truth, especially spiritual truth, apart from the One who is the Truth.

I see many extensions of this parable in the contemporary church and culture.  Some deny truth, some claim that truth is variable, some say they have found truth, but the reality is that unless I follow Jesus until I am like Him, I am among the blind ones.

Coram deo

Who Should Lead? Luke 6:39-42

Jesus concludes this sermon/discourse with “a parable,” actually with a series of parables.  The first three parables speak of teachers and teaching.  They begin with the familiar question, “Can the blind lead the blind?”

To me, this is a startling statement not for its content which seems obvious but for its presence here without transition or stated connection to what Jesus had been saying.  The image is at once comical and ridiculous, but to understand it better, I need to closely examine the references.  At the beginning of this chapter, Jesus was criticized by the scribes and Pharisees for things he had done on the Sabbath (vv. 6-11).  This first parable was addressed to them or about them and emphasized implied contrasts.

·         Contrast between the blind and the not blind – those who cannot see must be lead by those who can see

·         Contrast between leaders and followers – those who can see have certain responsibilities to those who cannot

This parable rests on understanding who is the one who can see and how do we who follow know he can see.  One who needs to be led will know whom to follow by:

·         The leader must say or claim he can see.  All that Jesus had taught shows that He is the One who sees clearly

·         The leader must have demonstrated His sight for those who cannot see.  This is exactly what Jesus has done in His sermon.

Remember, this sermon is addressed to His disciples, the ones whom He has chosen to follow Him.  Jesus repeated this parable here to give the disciples confidence in the One who had called them to follow Him.

Let me make an application in today’s Christian experience.  A leader worthy of following should:

1.      Be able to clearly see the “landscape.”  That necessitates seeing the spiritual landscape as it truly is with all the contemporary destruction, construction, and confusion.  Looking at a 40-year old picture of what it used to be will not work.

2.      Have a clear view of the destination.  Our journey is THROUGH this landscape to a Kingdom that lies BEYOND our horizon.

My guess is that if a leader is enjoying the scenery and amenities of the journey, he’s not going to the right place.

coram deo

Moralistic Therapeutic Deism

WHERE IS THIS GOING????

In reading a new book, Post Cards From Another Gospel by James Barry Babb, Winepress Publishing, I came across a new term for me, moralistic therapeutic deism or MTD.  This term was coined in another book I have yet to read, Soul Searching: The Religious and Spiritual Lives of American Teenagers by Christian Smith and Melinda Lundquist Denton.

I have been overwhelmed by the reality that this term describes.  I see evidence of it in so many aspects of what I experience in church life around me.  MTD describes an endemic theology that extends far, far beyond the young people who were the object of the original study.

Here is an excerpt from the Smith and Denton book as quoted in another blog that I follow from time to time, Balaam’s Ass.

"We advance our thesis somewhat tentatively as less than a conclusive fact but more than mere conjecture: we suggest that the de facto dominant religion among contemporary U.S. teenagers is what we might well call “Moralistic Therapeutic Deism.” The creed of this religion, as codified from what emerged from our interviews, sounds like this:
 
1.       A God exists who created and orders the world and watches over human life on earth.

2.       God wants people to be good, nice, and fair to each other, as taught in the Bible and by most world religions.

3.       The central goal of life is to be happy and to feel good about oneself.

4.       God does not need to be particularly involved in one’s life except when God is needed to resolve a problem.

5.       Good people go to heaven when they die.

…
First, Moralistic Therapeutic Deism is about inculcating a moralistic approach to life. It teaches that central to living a good and happy life is being a good, moral person. That means being nice, kind, pleasant, respectful, responsible, at work on self-improvement, taking care of one’s health, and doing one’s best to be successful. … Such a moral vision is inclusive of most religions, which are presumed to stand for equivalent moral views. … Feeling good about oneself is thus an essential aspect of living a moral life, according to this dominant de fact teenage religious faith. Which leads to our next point.

Moralistic Therapeutic Deism is, second, about providing therapeutic benefits to its adherents. This is not a religion of repentance from sin, of keeping the Sabbath, of living as a servant of a divine sovereign, of steadfastly saying one’s prayers, of faithfully observing high holy days, of building character through suffering, of basking in God’s love and grace, of spending oneself in gratitude and love for the cause of social justice, etcetera. Rather, what appears to be the actual dominant religion among U.S. teenagers is centrally about feeling good, happy, secure, at peace. … It is thus no wonder that so many religious and nonreligious teenagers are so positive about religion, for the faith many of them have in mind effectively helps to achieve a primary life goal: to feel good and happy about oneself and one’s life. It is also no wonder that most teens are so religiously inarticulate. As long as one is happy, why bother with being able to talk about the belief content of one’s faith?

Finally, Moralistic Therapeutic Deism is about belief in a particular kind of God: one who exists, created the world, and defines our general moral order, but not one who is particularly involved in one’s affairs–especially affairs in which one would prefer not to have God involved. Most of the time, the God of this faith keeps a safe distance. … This God is not demanding. He actually can’t be, because his job is to solve our problems and make people feel good. In short, God is something like a combination Divine Butler and Cosmic Therapist: he is always on call, takes care of any problems that arise, professionally helps his people to feel better about themselves, and does not become too personally involved in the process. [pp. 162-165]”

 I will have more to say about this in later posts.

Can I Go This Way?

The summary of the way people of the Kingdom of God live is stated in verse 35.  People who live like this – who love their enemies, do good, lend hoping for nothing in return – are the “sons of the Most High.”  In the end, this command and the expectation of Jesus are expressions of two great realities.

1.      This is the way God deals with mankind all the time.  He loves us when we hate Him; He does good for us all the time; He lends/gives to us knowing we have no way to repay Him.

2.      Living this way in love and generosity expresses our ultimate dependence on God as the Sovereign provider of all our needs.  Indeed, all we have or ever will have comes from His hand.

In this context, our responsibility is not to judge or condemn others for their treatment of us, but rather to love them and be generous to them.  When that is true, an overflowing abundance will be poured into our lap (v. 38).  One may ask, “Doesn’t that say we should give to get?”  In a way, the answer is “yes,” but the kind of giving Jesus expects is beyond human ability.  If we give with the motivation of the world, we receive the world’s kind of reward – nothing, but if we give as Christ gave, which is beyond human ability, we receive His reward from His hand, and that reward is in the future in the Kingdom.

One other thought – verse 37 and especially the first phrase of the verse is perhaps the most often misquoted verse from the Bible in the contemporary culture and common conversation – “Judge not that ye be not judged.”  It is misquoted not by its words but by its meaning and purpose.

This statement was made to Jesus’ disciples in the context of the instruction “love your enemies, do good, and lend hoping for nothing in return” (v. 35), and “Give and it shall be given to you; good measure…” (v. 38).  The “judge not” instruction is given in reference to people who hate us and who want a hand-out.  It does not refer to anyone or anything else.

The foundational principles upon which Jesus is building are important.

·         This material world is not important; people are.

·         The disciple of Jesus is a son of the Most High, and he is not a citizen of this culture.  As such he, or rather I should live as a son of God.

·         God is sovereign in all things.  All I have is given by Him, and He has the infinite resources to “over-replace” anything I give away.

Final note: Jesus is emphasizing that as I love and give to others, I am not to judge or condemn them.  Other Scripture, however, instructs me to evaluate and to judge their teaching and lifestyle so that I am not deceived or overcome by their culture.

coram deo

Ridiculous Christianity, Luke 6:27-31

What does it mean to be like Christ anyway?  Jesus brings forward the radical and "ridiculous" truth that almost every aspect of the Kingdom of God is opposite of what the culture of the world expects – even the very best of the culture.

·         Love those who hate you personally

·         Speak well of those who curse you and maliciously lie about you

·         When someone hurts you, do not strike back.  Not only that, don’t defend yourself from a second blow

·         When someone steals from you, give him more than he has taken

·         Loan whatever you have to everyone and anyone who asks

·         Treat everyone in the way you would wish to be treated

Let’s be real – no one lives like that.  NO ONE!  If anyone did, the whole world would take advantage of them and ruin them in every way imaginable.  Not only is this a list of ridiculous expectations, this list is a summation of impossibilities!  Only Jesus Christ could live up to this, and He is the only One who did.  Aha!  Jesus Christ lives in me, and what is impossible for me becomes not only possible, but a reality in the power and motivation of His grace.