Ticket, please...

“The word of the LORD came to Jonah…‘Go...’  But Jonah ran away from the LORD…After paying the fare, he went aboard and sailed…to flee from the LORD” Jonah 1:1, 3.

Jonah just paid for the most expensive ticket available – the ticket of judgment and disobedience.  God called Jonah to go to the city where great wickedness existed, and preach of God’s upcoming discipline if they did not turn from their ways.  Jonah, full of disdain and bitterness towards the people, didn’t want them to be saved.  He felt they didn’t deserve forgiveness and pardon, and judged their faith.  I believe he suffered from spiritual elitism.  He clearly was called to faith and forgiveness for these people but bought a ticket on USS Disobedience.

God has made it crystal clear that we are to display our faith to all people in love, forgiveness and humility.  We are all called to go…forgive…testify…love.  We are not called to judge the faith of another and create barriers in our fellowship with God.  ‘…have you not discriminated among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts?’ ‘Speak and act as those who are going to be judged…because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful’ James 2:12.  ‘Anyone who speaks against his brother or judges him speaks against the law and judges it.  When you judge the law, you are not keeping it, but sitting in judgment on it.  There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the one who is able to save and destroy.  But you – who are you to judge your neighbor?’ James 4:11-12.  So the word of the Lord comes to us…but do we flee?  Do we buy a ticket to nowhere and sail away on our own self-righteousness?

In God we claim that we love…and yet we judge.  We claim because of God we walk in the light…and yet we hide in the darkness of our bitterness.  We claim we walk in the will of God…and yet we buy a ticket fleeing away from His commands through our unforgiveness.

We must be people who practice what we preach.  We must purge ourselves of the very things of which we feel entitled…bitterness, resentfulness and an unwillingness to forgive.  Instead of words, our actions must speak our faith so that our testimonies and ministries will be authentic.

‘We put no stumbling block in anyone’s path, so that our ministry will not be discredited.’ 2 Co. 6:3.

On a Cloudy Day

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders…and run with perseverance the race marked out for us.  Let us fix our eyes on Jesus…Consider him who endured such opposition…so that you will not grow weary and lose heart” Hebrews 12:1-3.

Have you ever noticed the power of encouragement being based upon the credibility of the encourager?  While facilitating Griefshare the one thing I repeatedly heard was the frustration of hearing ‘I know how you feel’ from those who haven’t had the experience.  I know for myself when my daughter was living on the streets as a heroin addict, my greatest hope and encouragement would come from those who had run the same race and became victorious through their faith.  This is what the above passage means.  Encouragement and hope is experienced when we realize that God places testifiers around us in our journey.

The cloud of witnesses in Hebrews refers to those ‘heroes of the past who were not spectators but our inspiring examples.  The Greek word translated ‘witnesses’ is the origin of the English word ‘martyr’ and means ‘testifiers.’  They bear testimony to the power of faith and to God’s faithfulness’ NIV Study Bible, p.1910.   Great heroes of faith still live today, and I only have to look as far as my mother when considering a witness to the power of God.   Imagine you are running the race of grief, having lost a child and spouse as she did.  Daily you are expected to continue your life with the heaviness and hindrances of sadness and sorrow.  Picture God placing people like my mother on the sidelines who have run that same race and have experienced great healing in their lives.  By their testimonies and examples, hope is experienced through the same means they experienced hope – being surrounded by those who are keeping their eyes on Christ.  They pull for you…they cheer for you… they encourage you knowing with certainty that you will finish the race of healing.  In their confidence they assure you that one day you will break the finish line, experience joy through healing and move to the sidelines to cheer the next runner on.

We must surround ourselves with testifiers instead of spectators – those who walk in the power of God.  Testifiers experience…spectators watch.

Pulling in Nets

“‘I’m going out to fish,’ Simon Peter told them… ‘Throw your net on the right side of the boat and you will find some’” John 21:2, 6.

It was the days following the death of his friend, his companion, his teacher…the One whom predicted his denials.  Peter was filled with shame and disgrace at how he crumbled with fear the night his precious friend was arrested in the garden.  He lived under the guilt and regret that he had done nothing to prevent the tragedy from happening.  Now it was over…the sun had set and so had his zeal and fervor for the Lord.  With his head hung low and his heart even lower he returned to what he knew best…sitting in the dark fishing where no one could see his streaming tears and broken heart.  The night passed slowly and the only thing Peter caught was more self- imposed condemnation…self-inflicted guilt.  But…Jesus refused to leave him in his guilt and grief offering a different catch, a catch that yielded forgiveness, restoration and renewal.  Peter was never more aware of the grace of Christ as he was when he realized it was Jesus wanting to bless a traitor… a betraying friend…a failure.  How humbling and quiet Peter must have been around that campfire early that morning as Jesus spoke to those He loved.  The thoughts must have crowded his mind…How can He love me?  Where is His anger?  Where are the disappointing glances…the deserving jabs?

This simple passage speaks directly to the heart of failure followed by forgiveness…guilt followed by grace…the undeserving receiving a net full of blessings.  What if Peter would have allowed his guilt to speak more loudly that Christ’s grace?  What if the shame was too unbearable to face Jesus and he skipped that breakfast where he received complete redemption from the Redeemer? 

There is failure in all of us providing plenty of reasons for guilt and embarrassment with the manner in which we treat Jesus.  There are times we look the other way when His nature is being questioned.  There are times when we treat those in the Body of Christ with such disdain and dismissiveness that we reflect ourselves instead of reflecting Christ.  Many times we look the other way to avoid spiritual eye contact with God out of regret.  Thankfully, Christ does not wait on us to come to Him.  He knows that each of us struggle with our own nets, filling them with an inedible yield.  He calls us to come to His offering where He provides the food. 

We must lay our nets of guilt down and enjoy the catch of Christ.  His net is filled with love, forgiveness, blessings and opportunities to join Him in fishing for men.  When we pull in the nets of Christ we pull in a yield to feed the spiritually hungry who God places around us.  Christ had every reason to deny forgiveness to Peter, but He was not interested in validation and broken promises.  Christ was all about the work of His Father and the message of redemption which is the example given for each of our lives. 

 

Whatever we have in our nets will reflect the way we treat others and will impact our walk with God. 

Storm Watchers

“Then he got into the boat and his disciples followed him.  Without warning, a furious storm came up…so that the waves swept over the boat.” Matthew 8:23-24.

It used to be my belief that the greater the Christian the better the life.  My definition of better was more about having an easier life than experiencing Christ.   As I get spiritually older I realize all too clearly that the Christ-led life is much different than the Christian life.  The difference is whether you are the one on the shore listening to the teachings of Jesus or the one who follows Jesus into the boat.  Either way we know Jesus but which experience provides a more intimate relationship with God?

Most likely, those who didn’t follow Jesus into the boat still saw the furious storm from the water’s edge.  I am sure they must have been concerned but they lacked the emotional experience of being spared from the storm…they witnessed it without experiencing it.  They never felt the fear so they missed out on the comfort.  They lacked the emotional probability of their life being cut short, so they missed out on the miracle of deliverance. 

We each choose whether to stay on the water’s edge or follow Jesus into the boat.  While we can be storm watchers and storm chasers running up and down the banks we will never be called storm survivors.  It is only when we follow Jesus into the boat that we begin living a life of tumultuous adversity followed by divine delivery.  Through each of life’s storms we learn the faithfulness of God and the incredible love and loyalty He has for each of us. 

Some of the most tender moments with Christ in my life is when He leaned over the side of the boat and gently pushed us away from shore.  Scary as it may be to go into deep and unchartered waters, the calm that He provides is a calm that can never be found on the water’s edge.

Breaking Out

“In order that Israel may not boast against me that her own strength has saved her” Judges 7:2

Our church has just completed a month long campaign to raise both awareness and funds for the purchase of a home for victims of sex trafficking in our area.  The financial challenge for our church was set at $125,000 with a miracle challenge of $150.000.  There were host desserts in the homes of some of the families, while many board members spoke on behalf of this cause to our Life Groups.  During the month we had speakers and our minister wove the challenge into a series of four sermons.    There was great emphasis on the ‘miracle challenge’ which makes me giggle under my breath.

We always seem to think we know what a miracle looks like.  We seem to place God in a box thinking we are aware of His mighty abilities and miraculous workings.  But all too often, as in this case, we sell God short and limit Him to our interpretation of what a miracle may look like.  In this case, we were so off the mark as He brought in an excess of $388,000 to go to this important cause.  I am well aware God always goes bigger and different than man’s determination.  I believe that God’s ways are unique and over the top to avoid man taking credit for the results, and snatching the glory away from God.  This obscene amount comes from an infinite God whose resources will never run dry since all things belong to Him.  We diminish God through our diminished beliefs in who He is and what He can do. 

God is at work all around us and has been since before the creation.  His eyes scan the earth and see the needs of those needing to be rescued.  He then puts into place His divine plan and invites us to join Him.  King David understood that God was more than a God who operated within his box, his impressions and his determination.  Upon being victorious against the Philistines with God at the helm, David named that place of victory Baal Perazim.  Baal Perazim means ‘the Lord breaks out.’

Last Sunday, as we sat in the sanctuary awaiting the results of the campaign, we experienced our own Baal Perazim.  Through God’s spirit connecting the hearts of our church to His cause, His plans and His purposes we experienced God as He broke out of the limited box for which we had placed him.  I don’t believe our church will ever be the same and we are humbled by the greatness of our God beyond anything we have witnessed corporately.  When you think of God, think greater…think higher…think grander…think infinitely and be blessed by our Eph. 3:20-21 experience.

“Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever!  Amen.”

Spiritual Clusters

“Speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him, who is the Head, that is, Christ.  From him the whole body joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work” Eph. 4:15-16.

Saturday marked the two-year anniversary of my father-in-law’s passing over into heaven.  He suffered with Alzheimer’s and lived the final year of his life with us.  I was amazed at how differently the body responded to an unhealthy brain.  A healthy brain is the guiding force for a healthy body.  The brain of an Alzheimer patient shows an excess of certain proteins that form clusters resulting in cognitive misfires and disconnects in the brain.  Where there are disconnects in the brain there in inappropriateness in the behavior.  Where goes the mind, the body follows.

I drew a parallel this morning while considering Christ being the Head of the body – the church.  I don’t believe it is mere coincidence that Christ was named the Head as that is where the mind resides.  When we are spiritually unhealthy our mind tends to become divided, and barriers to our relationship with God are formed.  Some of our spiritual clusters are made up of bitterness and judgmental attitudes towards others which cause our behavior to disconnect from love.  Some clusters involve fears that send messages to our faith that God is not enough to accomplish that which we are called.  Our spiritual attitude and behavior will not be fully healthy until we allow the Head of believers – Christ Jesus – to take over our mind and align our thoughts to Him. 

‘Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God.  Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.  For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God’ Col. 3:1-3.

When we align our thinking with the mind of Christ we become more capable of adjusting our behavior with the character of Christ.  Every thought and action will be held together and supported by the Head of believers – Jesus Christ.  When in concert everything will become attached as one and grown up into a beautifully formed spiritual life.

Sitting Upon the Stone

“The Amalekites came and attacked…As long as Moses held up his hands, the Israelites were winning.  When Moses’ hands grew tired, they took a stone and put it under him and he sat on it.  Aaron and Hur held his hands up – one on one side, one on the other – so that his hands remained steady till sunset.  So Joshua overcame the Amalekite army with the sword” Ex. 17:8, 11-13.

The Amalekites were a group of evil people who approached and threatened the Israelites as they were traveling through the desert.  We discover that Moses, well advanced in his years and strength, commanded his aide, Joshua, to lead the battle against Amalek.  Joshua had the power of his sword while Moses had a weapon much greater than the other army – prayer and those surrounding him with support.  As the sword of Joshua led the battle, the prayers of Moses called upon the power of God to fight the battle .  Each man knew his place in the battle of the Lord and both were obedient and victorious.

The two essential things in this battle where God triumphed against evil were prayer and the sword (God’s word).  My commentary states ‘as long as Moses held up his hand in intercession and in dependence on God, the Israelites had the margin of victory.  But when his hand sagged, Amalek gained the ascendance.  Amalek…is a type of the flesh – that is, the evil, corrupt, Adamic nature of man.’  To be victorious against evil, we must seek God daily in prayer, and allow His words to infiltrate our hearts.  The Lord will always wage war on the flesh, fighting the battle for us through our prayers and His word. This is the blueprint for spiritual success - allowing God's word to go before our flesh and remain seated upon the stone of Christ. 

Our circumstances on earth may feel like battles wearing us down but God will always provide a Stone upon which to sit, and the Body of Christ to help us hold up our hands.  ‘As you come to him, the living Stone – rejected by men but chosen by God and precious to him…See, I lay a stone in Zion, a chosen and precious cornerstone, and the one who trusts in him will never be put to shame.’ 1 Peter 2:4, 6.