February 1, 2014

“He went away from there and came to his own country; and his disciples followed him. And on the sabbath he began to teach in the synagogue; and many who heard him were astonished, saying, “Where did this man get all this? What is the wisdom given to him? What mighty works are wrought by his hands! Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary and brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon, and are not his sisters here with us?” And they took offense at him. And Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor, except in his own country, and among his own kin, and in his own house.” And he could do no mighty work there, except that he laid his hands upon a few sick people and healed them. And he MARVELLED because of their unbelief.” Mark 6:1-6

"As he entered Caper′na-um, a centurion came forward to him, beseeching him and saying, “Lord, my servant is lying paralyzed at home, in terrible distress.” And he said to him, “I will come and heal him.” But the centurion answered him, “Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof; but only say the word, and my servant will be healed. For I am a man under authority, with soldiers under me; and I say to one, ‘Go,’ and he goes, and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes, and to my slave, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.” When Jesus heard him, he MARVELLED and said to those who followed him, “Truly, I say to you, not even in Israel have I found such faith.”  Matthew 8:5-10

If you are going to have a faith that moves Jesus you will need to enjoy His presence in the moment. The Centurion did that, but the people of Nazareth didn't. They struggled with faith because they were caught in an old paradigm of Jesus the carpenter and Jesus the son of Joseph and couldn't accept the Jesus the Messiah.

They demonstrate several things that happen when your faith gets stuck in the past.

One is prejudice -  “Where did this man get all this? What is the wisdom given to him? What mighty works are wrought by his hands! Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary and brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon, and are not his sisters here with us?"

Prejudice is judging someone ahead of time based on previous experience. Prejudice is what the Nazarenes displayed when they refused to believe differently about Jesus despite ample evidence supporting He was a prophet of God.

Another problem with getting stuck in your past is pride - "And they took offense at him".

Even though they were astonished by the depth and authority of His teaching, they were unwilling to yield to His teaching because they would have to admit He was more than a carpenter.

Faith cannot be stuck in your past. You can't rest your faith on memories, no matter how significant the events that inspired the memories. Faith is expressed in the moment from an up to date relationship with Jesus! 

The Centurion demonstrated that truth and this poem says it well.

MY NAME IS “I AM” 

I was regretting the past and fearing the future. Suddenly my Lord was speaking: “My name is “I AM.” He paused. I waited.

He continued, “When you live in the past with its mistakes and regrets, it is hard. I am not there. My name is not ‘I WAS.’ 

When you live in the future with its problems and fears, it is hard. I am not there. My name is not ‘I WILL BE.’ 
When you live in this moment it is not hard; I am there! My name is ‘I AM!’

January 31, 2014

“He went away from there and came to his own country; and his disciples followed him. And on the sabbath he began to teach in the synagogue; and many who heard him were astonished, saying, “Where did this man get all this? What is the wisdom given to him? What mighty works are wrought by his hands! Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary and brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon, and are not his sisters here with us?” And they took offense at him. And Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor, except in his own country, and among his own kin, and in his own house.” And he could do no mighty work there, except that he laid his hands upon a few sick people and healed them. And he MARVELLED because of their unbelief.” Mark 6:1-6

Wouldn't it be amazing to have Jesus marvel over your faith?

Wouldn't it be lousy if He was amazed by your lack of faith?

Both of those reactions happened in these two portions of Scripture. Would it be helpful to know the difference?

It makes a huge difference whether your faith lives in your memory or in the moment!

Having looked at the positive side of this story with the Centurion, shall we examine the negative response from the hometown bunch? What caused them to flunk the test of faith?

I think they were trapped in an old paradigm in their ideas about Jesus - "Where did this man get all this? What is the wisdom given to him? What mighty works are wrought by his hands! Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary and brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon, and are not his sisters here with us?” 

While they were astonished by the wisdom of His teaching and amazed by the testimonies of His miracles, they couldn't reconcile what they heard from Him and about Him with the image they had of him as a local guy. 

Because they were trapped in a previous paradigm of Who Jesus had been they couldn't reconcile the reality of Who He is with their recollection of Who they remembered Him to be. So, they clung to the familiar past rather than conjure fresh faith.

Is your faith stuck in the past? Are there any previous paradigms that hinder you from knowing Jesus in the now?

What God has done for you in the past is significant and worthy of praise! His provision in the past can help you trust His promises for today, but faith must be expressed in the moment not in your memory!

January 30, 2014

“He went away from there and came to his own country; and his disciples followed him. And on the sabbath he began to teach in the synagogue; and many who heard him were astonished, saying, “Where did this man get all this? What is the wisdom given to him? What mighty works are wrought by his hands! Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary and brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon, and are not his sisters here with us?” And they took offense at him. And Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor, except in his own country, and among his own kin, and in his own house.” And he could do no mighty work there, except that he laid his hands upon a few sick people and healed them. And he MARVELLED because of their unbelief.” Mark 6:1-6

^“As he entered Caper′na-um, a centurion came forward to him, beseeching him and saying, “Lord, my servant is lying paralyzed at home, in terrible distress.” And he said to him, “I will come and heal him.” But the centurion answered him, “Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof; but only say the word, and my servant will be healed. For I am a man under authority, with soldiers under me; and I say to one, ‘Go,’ and he goes, and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes, and to my slave, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.” When Jesus heard him, he MARVELLED and said to those who followed him, “Truly, I say to you, not even in Israel have I found such faith.”  Matthew 8:5-10

It is certainly worth taking a look at the faith of this Centurion who caused the Master to marvel over him. Perhaps we can gain some insights on faith that moves our Savior.

In contrast to the Nazarenes in Jesus' home town, this soldier's notions of Jesus were not shaped by memories or experiences of the past, but they were driven by the urgency of his moment in the presence of Jesus. Here are a few insights I gain from this encounter.

The Centurion's faith was motivated by the need of his servant at that moment - “Lord, my servant is lying paralyzed at home, in terrible distress.”

One commentator I studied speculated that the servant's ailment might have been lockjaw - a paralysis of the jaw muscles making it impossible to open the mouth to eat.

Be that as it may, we know the servant's condition was a real and imminent threat to his life and the Centurion felt the urgency of this moment. If something didn't happen soon his servant would die and he believed Jesus could make something happen so he hurried to where Jesus was and cried out for help.

His urgent plea was heard by Jesus who was moved by it and agreed to go home with the Centurion to heal the servant.

Also, I notice that the Centurion was moved by his nearness to Jesus in the moment. "As he entered Caper′na-um, a centurion came forward to him." The Son of God stood within reach and he had to seize the moment! He knew his servant was in bad shape and Jesus was able to heal him.

Third, and perhaps most significant, the Centurion was moved by the nature of Jesus in that moment, “Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof; but only say the word, and my servant will be healed."

It was the Centurion's faith in the authority of Jesus that caused Jesus to marvel at his request. Through his military experience of having authority and serving under authority, this Centurion had no problem understanding and accepting the authority of Jesus. Because he did, he knew that Jesus' authority over demons and disease came from WHO He was not from WHERE He was so it was easy for him to believe Jesus could heal his servant by just His word.

Faith that impresses Jesus is faith that exists in the moment not in some distant memory. It is faith like that demonstrated by this Centurion who was fully engaged with Jesus in that moment when he was moved by his need, by Jesus' nearness and by the supernatural nature of Jesus at that moment.

How is your faith? 

Is it based on your memories about Jesus or built into your moments with Jesus?

January 29, 2014

“He went away from there and came to his own country; and his disciples followed him. And on the sabbath he began to teach in the synagogue; and many who heard him were astonished, saying, “Where did this man get all this? What is the wisdom given to him? What mighty works are wrought by his hands! Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary and brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon, and are not his sisters here with us?” And they took offense at him. And Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor, except in his own country, and among his own kin, and in his own house.” And he could do no mighty work there, except that he laid his hands upon a few sick people and healed them. And he MARVELLED because of their unbelief.” Mark 6:1-6

^“As he entered Caper′na-um, a centurion came forward to him, beseeching him and saying, “Lord, my servant is lying paralyzed at home, in terrible distress.” And he said to him, “I will come and heal him.” But the centurion answered him, “Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof; but only say the word, and my servant will be healed. For I am a man under authority, with soldiers under me; and I say to one, ‘Go,’ and he goes, and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes, and to my slave, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.” When Jesus heard him, he MARVELLED and said to those who followed him, “Truly, I say to you, not even in Israel have I found such faith.”  Matthew 8:5-10

Twice during his earthly ministry Christ ran into faith that cause Him to marvel. One was on His return to His home town where their refusal to believe, despite admitting to impressive evidence, stunned Him.

The other encounter was with a Roman centurion. Who would have thought that a Gentile would outdo His Jewish friends and relatives of Jesus in the religious faith department?

But he did, and it wasn't even close!

Those who should have had faith in Jesus didn't and a man who shouldn't have had faith did? Why?

Those are intriguing questions that deserve some investigation. I will give it a try in some upcoming posts, but there is a more urgent question that is haunting me.

Does God marvel at my faith?

Is He blessed by how I believe in Him today or is He distressed by the limits of my faith?

Am I boxed in by my misconceptions like the Nazarenes or am I able to believe beyond the box as the centurion did?

These are serious questions deserving of sober soul-searching.

Search me, O God......

January 28, 2014

"Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with God's people who are in need. Practice hospitality. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited. Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written: "It is mine to avenge; I will repay," says the Lord. On the contrary: "If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head." Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good." Romans 12:9-21

Have you ever thought how blessed we are to be alive in this amazing period of history? These are exciting days! Troubled days, for sure. Dangerous days, no doubt. But these are days of great opportunity. These are times that challenge you to clearly know and understand what we believe, to discipline our thoughts according to those beliefs, and most importantly - live what we believe.

We have just seen how quickly trends can turn with the results of just one state election. It seemed that our nation was headed full speed toward some ill-advised decisions that could threaten individual liberties. That should encourage you to know the power of one individual life who boldly stands for traditional conservative principles.

Romans 12:9-21 affirms the power of a life lived well.

This is one portion of Scripture that makes as much sense read backwards and it does read in order. Paul concludes this hopeful and encouraging admonition with this strong statement, "Be not overcome with evil, but overcome evil with good." Start there and read backward to know how to do it!

Do you hear that? Can you get your heart and mind around that? YOU CAN OVERCOME EVIL! Not only CAN you - you MUST! If you do not overcome evil you will be overcome by it. There is no moral neutral ground or DMZ. I am afraid we lose sight of that. I am afraid we drift into a shadow land of "I'm not that bad" rather than standing boldly in the bright light of "this is right"!

In this powerful 12th chapter, Paul is prescribing a powerful revolutionary plan of action for Christians who were living in one of the most corrupt cultures in history. On a good day, the Roman Empire was amoral, mostly it was grossly immoral. These Roman Christians were considered enemies of the empire and were unmercifully persecuted by the Romans in addition to being relentlessly pursued by the Jewish leaders. In that context, Paul says, "Live out what you believe and you will defeat evil." He didn't promise them comfort. He didn't promise them prosperity. He didn't promise them deliverance from suffering. He just promised them victory.

By the way, the Roman Empire crumbled and Christianity is alive and well!

Just when they must have felt like they were losing, Paul writes to remind them how to win. This might be timely advice for you and me.

Righteousness is restored one person at a time, one decision at a time and one courageous action at a time. Every time you do the right thing because you believe the right thing and think the right way - YOU OVERCOME EVIL!

It's not up to the Republicans or the Democrats or the TEA Party or the Independents or the Libertarians or any "ism". It is not the job of President Obama or Ted Cruz or Governor McAuliffe. It is not up to Glenn Beck, Bill O'Reilly, Rush Limbaugh, Joel Osteen, or James Dobson. Not even Dr. Phil can solve this one!

But you can! So can I! And it can begin today - right now!

You have to know what you believe. You have to believe what you believe. You have to think consistent with your beliefs and make decisions based on your convictions not your emotions. And then courageously behave according to your beliefs. If you do that and if I do that we will overcome evil today!

Have a GOOD day - world-changer!

January 27, 2014

"Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn."  Romans 12:15

The fact that the Great Apostle includes this admonition with this portion of Scripture is telling.

For one thing I think it recognizes that empathy does not come naturally for us. We have an inherent self-interest and we care about those who care about us. But to reach out to those with whom we have no vested interest is not something that happens on its own.

So, what must happen to make you care about others? What brings you to a place of sharing in sorrow and celebrating in joy?

At the risk of being redundant, the very things I have been showing you over the past few weeks:

Surrender

It seems to me the best way to care about others more is to surrender your heart and mind and will to the One Who loves them most. When you offer yourself as a living sacrifice to God, He changes how you think - about Him, about yourself, and about others!

Selfless love is born in surrender.

Serve

The test of love is service. When you love someone you serve them. When you are surrendered to God you serve Him by serving those He loves. And as you serve others, as you become more involved in their lives, and you get to know them better and begin to like them more.

Also, as you serve them they begin to feel more loved by your and by the Father.

Sincere Love

Sincere love is the result of being surrendered to God and being involved in serving others. Sincere love is evidence that God's love is being expressed in your heart. It is more than a feeling it is a commitment. It is a decision. God expects you to show sincere love to people you feel warm emotions for and those you don't.

Godly love empathizes with the pain and problems of others. It offers to help bear the pain. It brings a comforting presence. It joins in prayer. It offers friendship. It meets practical needs. It sheds tears with those who are sad. It celebrates with those who are enjoying life.

Empathy is a God-given gift through which heavy load are lightened and broken hearts get mended. It is evidence that God has done a transforming work in your heart.

When I care as deeply over the needs of others as I do over my own, then I know God has done a work in me and wants to do a strong work through me!

Are you surrendered to God? Completely?

Are you serving God by serving others?

Are you showing sincere love?

January 26, 2014

"Let love be genuine; hate what is evil, hold fast to what is good; love one another with brotherly affection; outdo one another in showing honor. Never flag in zeal, be aglow with the Spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in your hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints, practice hospitality. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with one another; do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly;never be conceited."  Romans 12:9-16

In his book Soul Talk, Larry Crabb writes:

Which is worse? A church program to build community that doesn’t get off the ground or one person sitting every Sunday in the back of the church who remains unknown? A Sunday school class that once drew hundreds but has now dwindled to thirty or a Sunday school teacher whose sense of failure is never explored by a caring friend? A family torn apart by the father’s drinking, his wife’s frustration, and their third grader’s learning disabilities or a self-hating dad, a terrified mom, and a lonely little boy, three human beings whose beauty and value no one ever discovers? A national campaign that fails to gain steam for the pro-life movement or a single woman on her way home from an abortion clinic in the backseat of a taxi, a woman whose soul no one ever touches?

We may notice the unknown pew sitter, we wonder how the teacher of the now small class feels, we worry over each member of the torn-up family, and we feel for the guilt and pain of a woman who has ended her baby’s life. But we do what’s easier. We design programs, we brainstorm ways to build attendance, and in our outrage over divorce statistics and abortion numbers we fight for family values.

These are all good things, but we don’t TALK to the pew sitter; we don’t ASK the teacher how he’s feeling; we don’t INVITE the dad to play golf, the woman to lunch, or the little boy to play with our children; we don’t let the aborting woman know we CARE about her soul." 

That response to hurting people, I would label disunity. Disunity is not just fighting over personal preferences. It’s not just leaving the church because someone hurt your feelings. It’s not just gossip that tears down other members of the body. It’s leaving needs unmet. It’s failing to love people the way God would have us love.