Who really IS the greatest?

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The bleachers are packed with family & friends. Excitement fills the air. There are feelings of pride & accomplishment, & also of relief. Present, too, are tears of joy & tears of sadness. Faded jeans & old tennis shoes have been replaced with unaccustomed finery. The uniformity of the robes accentuates the fact that mortarboard hats are being worn at every conceivable angle.

The orchestra plays. The choir sings. And then a speaker begins the time-honored practice of seeking to impart some timeless words of advice & encouragement.

A graduation ceremony! We have all been to them. These are times of excitement as young people face a future that is largely unknown to them.

In Mark 9:32-34, the disciples are arguing about who was the greatest. And when Jesus asked them what they were arguing about, they wouldn’t answer. Why? What is going on here? Remember the context of this story. Some had just been on the Mount of Transfiguration. They had seen Jesus with Moses and Elijah. They had heard and seen as the voice of God boomed forth – “This is my beloved son. Listen to Him!” What an exciting event!

Can you imagine Peter, James, and John bubbling forth with excitement?

And the other disciples were no doubt most curious wondering what in the world the three had seen.  What had happened was probably more exciting that any graduation ceremony we have ever been to. Jesus knew what was in their hearts. Whatever their thought processes were, Jesus knew.

Listen to the Master Teacher. Read Mark 9:35. Have you noticed? Jesus doesn’t condemn them for claiming or even desiring greatness. Instead, He just defines it. Greatness is… Service, concern for others, willing to be last instead of always putting yourself first. The world teaches that greatness is how many lives you control. Jesus teaches that greatness is how many lives you serve.

And then the Master calls a little child over to Him. Mark 9:36-37. Jesus used a child as an object lesson.  Why?  Someone said, “Jesus used a child because a child really can’t do anything for us.” A child can’t enhance our position in society. A child can’t add to our success. But what a child does do is teach us about ministry.. about serving. Parents quickly learn that raising children is more about serving than anything else. If you really want to be first, then you must serve. No options. No other choices. In God’s eyes’ that’s just the way it is. Whether you graduate from high school or college with the finest of degrees or attain great skills in the business world or even accumulate billions of dollars – the only real thing that defines greatness is service. May God help us to do just that.

Names of God – El Roi

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The angel of the LORD also said to her: “You are now with child and you will have a son. You shall name him Ishmael, for the LORD has heard of your misery. 12He will be a wild donkey of a man; his hand will be against everyone and everyone’s hand against him, and he will live in hostility toward all his brothers.” 13She gave this name to the LORD who spoke to her: “You are the God who sees me,” for she said, “I have now seen the One who sees me.” 14That is why the well was called Beer Lahai Roi; it is still there, between Kadesh and Bered. (Genesis 16:11-14)

Interesting. So here’s Hagar, minding her own business, having her master’s baby (which was her master’s wife’s idea, by the way), and now her master’s wife begins to mistreat her (Genesis 16:6). So she runs away.

Now, when her emotions are at an all-time low, Who appears to her but Jesus Himself? (For more on The angel of the LORD, here are 2 additional posts I wrote on the subject: The Old Testament Jesus, and The Angel of the LORD.)

Not only did Hagar have a “God who sees me” (verse 13), but we do as well. You have a God who sees you. How does that make you feel? If you have something to hide, it should make you stop and wonder if perhaps there are things in your life you need to make right with others and right with God.

If you are “living by the Spirit” though (Galatians 5:16), the fact that you have a God who sees you should give you comfort. Not only do you have a God who sees you, but you have a God who has promised never to leave you or forsake you (Hebrews 13:5).

That should bring comfort.

Oh Yes, I’m the Great Pretender

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“There is no room for pretending in the spiritual life. Unfortunately, in many religious circles there exists an unwritten rule. Pretend. Act like God is in control when you don’t believe He is.  Give the impression everything is okay in your life when it’s not. Pretend you believe when you doubt; hide your imperfections; maintain the image of a perfect marriage with healthy and well-adjusted children when the truth is, your family is like any other normal dysfunctional family.  And whatever you do, never admit that you sin!

Practically, pretending is efficient, uncomplicated and quick. Answering, “Fine” to the question, “How are you doing?” is much easier and quicker than saying, “Not very well, thank you. My back is bothering me. My teenage children are disappointing me. I’m unhappy with my body. My husband never speaks to me. And I’m wondering if Christianity is true.” Honesty requires a huge investment of time and energy from the person asking the question (who is, of course, sorry he ever asked).

Pretending is the grease of modern relationships. Pretending perpetuates the illusion of relationships by connecting us on the basis of who we aren’t. People who pretend have pretend relationships. But being real is a synonym for messy spirituality, because when we are real, our messiness is there for everyone to see.

Some people consider the words “messy spirituality” rude and audacious. “How dare you suggest that people are messy! What are you proposing? Are you suggesting that sin is okay, that we should condone a less than 100 percent effort to serve God? You are too negative. It’s not helpful to emphasize our flaws.”

But the truth is, we are a mess. None of us is who we appear to be. We all have secrets. We all have issues. We all struggle from time to time. None of us is perfect. Not one. (I have just paraphrased Romans 3:10.)

The essence of messy spirituality is the refusal to pretend, to lie or allow others to believe we are something we are not. Unfortunately, people can handle the most difficult issues more easily than they can handle the lack of pretending.

When you and I stop pretending, we expose the pretending of everyone else. The bubble of the perfect Christian life is burst, and we must all face the reality of our brokenness.”

 (excerpt from Messy Spirituality by Michael Yacconelli)

After David says his goodbyes to Jonathan, he goes to the tabernacle city of Nob where he meets with the priest Ahimelech. David pretends that everything is going well.  He pretends that he is in complete control. But the reality is, David’s life is a complete mess. He is not in control … not even close. And his pretending is a big, fat lie ... a lie that will cost 85 priests and an entire city of people their lives.

David starts out by giving control of his life to God and everything goes great. But at the first sign of trouble, David panics and abandons God’s plan for his own. David wants to control his own life! But he has no plan. He’s flying by the seat of his pants, making decisions without thinking them through and the result is, people die.

At one point, we see David walking through the streets of Gath pretending to be insane … talking nonsense and drooling all over himself.

David is a mess! He’s starting to act like King Saul! Is this guy really a man after God’s own heart? Surely not!

But David is able to turn his life around. How? How do you turn your life around when you’re at the end of your rope–when the unfairness of life has kicked you in the teeth and has the heel of its boot against your neck? David’s will show us how. He will give us three steps to take in order to give control back to God and return us to the right path.

What are the steps? That’s what we’ll discuss this Sunday morning. In preparation, read 1 Samuel chapters 21 and 22.

Until then, walk with the Master.

Mark 4: What we need is good dirt

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strong plants grow in good soilIn today’s reading, Jesus teaches to a large crowd by the lake–a crowd so big, that he gets out in a boat on the water in order to speak to everyone along the shoreline.

Although the text mentions He taught them many things using parables, his initial story recorded here is the famed, Parable of the Sower. In it, Jesus uses an agricultural context that is undoubtedly familiar to all of them (as it is to most of us), that of sowing seeds, to illustrate an incredibly relevant and timeless point: the challenges of truly following God.

The farmer, (God) sows seed (makes His word and presence known) in many places (people). Lots of seed (God’s word) lands lots of different places (reaches many). But how will that seed be received or nourished? Will it land on productive ground (receptive hearts)? Having landed on rocky ground, will it immediately be devoured by birds (words and teachings quickly forgotten or rejected)? Will it grow temporarily in shallow soil, only to be scorched during the heat of the day (teachings abandoned when trials appear)? Will it be choked out by weeds (teachings at first heeded, but then later ignored in lieu of distractions, worldly pursuits and worry)? Or, will it land on good soil, where it can grow with deep roots, and even prosper and multiply (a deeply devoted and faithful follower)?

This universal and transcendent lesson speaks just as loud to us today, as it did to those folks that day on the lakeshore. Our human nature, shortcomings, temptations, distractions, brief attention spans, vulnerabilities and dependency have changed so little, despite the millenia that have passed and our modern-day setting. Truly following God, enduring faithfully to the end, has always been–and remains–an ongoing and difficult challenge.

Challenge…

The question for you today, as it was then, what type of soil will you be? Are you in this faith thing for the long haul? Are the roots of His teachings deep enough and strong enough to hang on during drought, distraction and trials? Let me encourage you to be good, productive, faithful, reliable soil. Because ask any farmer… good dirt is hard to find.

Names of God — El Olam

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32After the treaty had been made at Beersheba, Abimelech and Phicol the commander of his forces returned to the land of the Philistines. 33Abraham planted a tamarisk tree in Beersheba, and there he called upon the name of the LORD, the Eternal God. 34And Abraham stayed in the land of the Philistines for a long time. (Genesis 21:32-34)

God is eternal (Jeremiah 10:10), from everlasting to everlasting (Nehemiah 9:5), the Alpha and the Omega, Who is, and Who was, and Who is to come (Revelation 1:8). Thus it was only natural that when Abraham called upon the name of the Lord, he called on the Eternal God (El Olam).

Someone has said, “I don’t know what the future holds, but I know Who holds the future.” Just as Abraham called upon the Eternal God, we can be sure this same God will be there when we need Him — just as He always has been.

Good Hope

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“A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity” (Proverbs 17:17).

In jail, waiting to be bailed out.I see a commercial on television from time to time with a picture of a guy behind bars. The voice says, “For jail release, call 777-7777.” He repeats that line twice and ends with, “Just dial all 7’s.”

I suppose that for some, the bail lawyer is the only friend they have. When all else fails, at least there’s somebody to bail them out of jail.

I run into quite a few folks who are in a kind of jail—imprisoned by their addictions … their sin … their circumstances of life. And I want to help them. I want to somehow “bail them out” of whatever has them “locked up”.

But most of the time, all I can offer is a handshake or a hug, a smile and a kind word, a short prayer and a little hope.

Hope is important.  In fact, hope is vital. Most people just need some hope—hope that things will turn around … hope that it’s going to get better … hope that there’s more to life than the constant burden of living in a broken world.

Christian hope is an amazing thing. It’s the one thing that keeps us above water during those circumstances that take everyone else under.

Christians know that no matter what unfair junk life throws at them, something better is coming. And we must share that hope with people in hopeless situations.

That’s what friends do. Friends share hope.

This Sunday, we will see David in the prison of a seemingly hopeless situation. But in the midst of the chaos, David has a good friend to give him a word of hope … a friend to remind him that the will of God is going to be done. And because of that, the future looks bright.

How ironic that the best friend David has is the son of the man who wants him dead. And his name is Jonathan.

Do you have a Jonathan? Or maybe more importantly, are you a Jonathan to someone else?

I challenge you to find someone to whom you can offer a kind word, a short prayer … and a little hope.

Yet this I call to mind
and therefore I have hope:
The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases,
His mercies never come to an end  (Lamentations 3:21-22).

(Please read 1 Samuel 20 before Sunday.)

Sermon recording:

Mysteries revealed — you don’t want to miss this one! The end of religion, the world, and everything!

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How much time has been dedicated to revealing the mysteries of the Bible? I’d say, “Too much.” Sometimes chasing mysteries stems from from fear, fear of being hurt, losing out; stealing our energy from pursuing the One we should trust, 2 Cor. 5:7. Be sure that when our Creator wants to let us know something, when it is time, He is very plain about it, Exodus 20:1-17, Gal. 4:4. When the time is not right to know something, you may as well forget trying to find out, Deuteronomy 29:29; 1 Pet. 1:10-12.

Matthew 23: Who is really “religious” and is that a good thing? One of the more disturbing goals of Jesus’ work included reality testing of our closely held beliefs and values. Jesus’ big news to the religious elite of His day: There is one Master and you are not it, you are brothers. There is one Father, and you are not it. Your Heavenly Father reigns. Be generous, be brothers to all. Open the doors of the kingdom — quit trying to squeeze people out! Real religion attends to details insomuch as the details convey the truths and practices of relationship, James 1:19-27. Piety is as piety does, yes? The antithesis of Jesus’ EGO EIMI, “I am,” comes in my own kind of ego eimi . . . I am a sin bruised and worn human. I don’t like it and I need help in ridding myself of the things that weigh me down, how about you? Heb. 12:1-2. So my religion, my “what I do because of what I believe” must show my everlasting gratitude to the One Who loved me and gave Himself for me., Gal. 2:20.

Matthew 24-25: When is the end of the world? That one is easy, just ask anyone. When the leaves stop changing. No, Gen. 8:22. 2012? As a matter of fact no one can know, Matthew 24:36. In a real way every day is the “end” for someone, Heb. 9:27. The question I have to answer, “Am I ready for my end?” Oddly enough I prepare for the end by living every day for the One Who will appear and bring a New Beginning, 1 Thess. 4:13-18. But the end of Jerusalem, well that was the other context of the questions He answered. Some say that early Christians remembered the words of Jesus and fled to nearby Pella when the Romans came. Luke was very plain, Lk. 21:20. It was the end of the Mosaic system as they knew it.

Matthew 26: What grace does the eucharist convey? Some would say communion enshrines a holy miracle of presence and sacrifice imbuing a special blessing. What does the Lord’s supper really mean when we participate now? I think Jesus had a better take on it when He said that these things SAY something: Jesus as a person bringing about forgiveness by the crucifixion, shedding of blood; the creation and sealing of a covenant, Matthew 26:26-28, Jer. 31:31-34. Today, when we eat the bread and drink the cup we say distinctly we believe, and that we are the body now. 1 Cor. 11:17-26

Matthew 27: Did the Christ REALLY die? Witnesses say, “Yes.” Other religious friends who honor Jesus even as an anointed one say that only someone similar to Him died, and that Jesus died of a very old age somewhere else. Matthew, and other eyewitnesses, even His enemies, make it plain, no mystery: Jesus died, Matthew 27:50-66, 1 Cor. 15:1-8. Don’t stop here, go on to the GOOD GOOD news in Matthew 28!

Still like mysteries? Be part of the REAL mystery: Christ in you, the hope of glory, Col. 1:26-28.

Names of God — Elohim

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1In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters…26Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.” Genesis 1:1-2, 26

God created the heavens and the earth.The name translated “God” three times in these verses is the name Elohim (pronounced el-o-HEEM). This name of God appears over 2,600 times in Scripture, and in fact if you read the first chapter of Genesis, you will see God’s name 32 times. Each time His name appears in this chapter, it is His name Elohim. This name means “the all-powerful One”, and is often associated with creation.

A point worth noting in verse 26 is the fact that God, whom we know to be one God (Deuteronomy 6:4), refers to Himself in the plural: “Let us make man in our image, in our likeness…” (Genesis 1:26). In fact, the name Elohim itself is plural; it is the plural form of His name El, which we read about on January 15. There are some today who deny the doctrine of the Trinity. Although verse 26 combined with the plural nature of the name Elohim are certainly not proofs of the truth of that doctrine, they most definitely support it and help us understand God a little better.

Other interesting facts about Elohim:

  • There isn’t universal agreement that the plural nature of Elohim means this name refers to more than one Being. Some linguists believe it merely emphasizes majesty or magnitude.
  • The name Elohim is also used in the Bible to refer to pagan gods (Genesis 35:2), angels (Psalm 8:5), and judges (1 Samuel 2:25). Still, in over 2,500 of the more than 2,600 times it occurs in Scripture, this name refers to the Holy Eternal God of Heaven.
  • The first name mentioned in the Bible is its fourth word — Elohim.
  • Psalm 68, a beautiful hymn of praise, uses the name Elohim 26 times.
  • The 3 most basic names of God are El (January 15), Elohim, and Yahweh (Jehovah — April 1).

Heart Conversion

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When all those who had formerly known him saw him prophesying with the prophets, they asked each other, “What is this that has happened to the son of Kish? Is Saul also among the prophets?” (1 Samuel 10:11)

My preacher friend in Idaho, Tom Smith, has had problems with arrhythmia for about ten years. It got to the point that the doctor told Tom that he needed a heart conversion.

Tom told the doctor, “I preach on heart conversion every Sunday. How bad can it be?”

As it turns out, it’s horrible. They use the equivalent of a defibrillator to shoot electricity to the heart at just the right moment in the cardiac cycle to get the heart beating normally again. Tom was awake while they did this.

It worked for Tom. But he says he never wants to do it again.

In 1 Samuel 10:9, it says that “God changed Saul’s heart.” And one of the signs that God was with Saul happened in Gibeah. Saul was told he would be met there by a group of prophets. And sure enough, he was. But then something strange happened. Saul also began to prophecy! God really was with Saul! Amazing!

The people were also amazed and began to ask, “Is Saul a prophet, too?”

Yes. Yes he is.

But then a lot of things go wrong in Saul’s life because of his disobedience to God. And by the time chapter 19 rolls around, it’s simply a matter of time before Saul is kicked off the throne. God has chosen David, a man with a better heart than Saul’s, to lead Israel.

In chapter 19, Saul is hunting David down. He wants David dead. But the chapter ends with Saul lying on the ground naked, prophesying endlessly to nobody in particular.

And the people mock him by asking the same question, “Is Saul a prophet, too?”

No, he is not. Not anymore.

In the church, we almost always talk of heart transformation as a good thing. Our hearts and minds are being transformed into the likeness of Christ, if we are in Him.

But we have to stay in Him. In pride, we can’t speed off the pathway to do our own thing. We have to walk with God. That doesn’t mean we won’t fall down. We will. That doesn’t mean we won’t drift off the pathway. We will.

But we make the necessary corrections to our walk and we do the best we can.

Saul had two heart conversions. First, God changed Saul’s heart. Saul was God’s choice to lead Israel. God filled him with His Spirit and he did great things!

But then Saul changed Saul’s heart. He became prideful and sought glory for himself when he had previously given all glory to God.

The more I study, the more I’m convinced that our salvation really is a matter of the heart. And our heart is being transformed—one way or the other. It’s either being transformed to look like Jesus or it’s being transformed to look like Saul’s—crusty, hard, prideful and Spiritless.

Jesus said, “Be careful, or your hearts will be weighed down with dissipation, drunkenness and the anxieties of life, and That Day will close on you unexpectedly like a trap. For it will come upon all those who live on the face of the whole earth” (Luke 21:34-35).

Let me encourage you to walk with Jesus—allowing His Spirit to live in your heart and transform you into His likeness.

The Sunday lesson will cover 1 Samuel 10-19. I know that’s a lot, but it’s a great story and compelling reading.

Sermon recording:

How to de-heckle a heckler

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“Teacher, is it lawful to pay taxes?”
“Rabbi, whose wife will she be at the judgment?”
“Excuse me, but by whose authority do you do what you do?”
“Is it right for a man to divorce his wife for any reason he chooses?”

Sigh. Here we go again.

You ever feel that way? “Wait a minute — doesn’t your group think they’re the only ones going to heaven?” “Do you really believe…?” Let’s not go on.

How did Jesus handle hecklers?

  • Often times with a question. “John’s baptism — was it from God or from men?”
  • Sometimes with Scripture. “I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.”
  • Always with love and respect.

Respect? No, Jesus didn’t respect their methods or even their focus on life. He did respect the fact that they were created in God’s image — yes, even created by the One who was the object of their heckling. And He knew that His Father didn’t want any of them to live eternally without Him (2 Peter 3:9).

He had the advantage of looking into an individual’s heart and seeing his motives; we don’t. That shouldn’t change the way we react to those who question our faith. Take a deep breath, say a quick prayer, and know God provided the answers for the apostles (Matthew 10:16-20), and He’ll take care of you too.

You’ve heard it before, but it’s still true — it doesn’t matter so much who we are, but whose we are.

Remember that.