Religion

Being flexible

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Mark 2:21-22 No one sews a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment; or else the new piece pulls away from the old, and the tear is made worse. And no one puts new wine into old wineskins; or else the new wine bursts the wineskins, the wine is spilled, and the wineskins are ruined. But new wine must be put into new wineskins.”

In the passages leading up to these verses we see Jesus touching a leper, forgiving and healing a paralytic, eating with sinners. The religious people hated Him for it because He just wasn’t…well…religious enough. There wasn’t enough fasting, enough rigid law keeping, enough self righteous separation from sinners. It was in this context that Jesus spoke these verses. He spoke them to people whose religion made them stiff and rigid. It made them harsh and judgmental. It shut up their hearts to those broken in body and broken by sin.

They clung to the old wineskins of their religious tradition, and when Jesus brought the new wine of a Spirit filled life, just like the old wineskins they weren’t able to receive the new thing.

These rigid religionists were mad when His disciples got something to eat on the sabbath (2:23-24), mad when Jesus healed a man on the Sabbath (3:1-2), and accused Him of being devil possessed because He cast demons out of people who were bound.

Jesus just would not be like them and they hated Him for it. I supposed it never crossed their minds that they should become like Him. Rigid and inflexible, they missed the miraculous things that God was doing, and the miracle of God incarnate being in their midst.

Let God bend you, beloved. Don’t miss the glorious things He wants to do in your life by being inflexible.

Another level of being nothing

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1 Corinthians 1:29 that no flesh should glory in His presence.

1 Corinthians 1:31 …..He who glories, let him glory in the LORD.

Innate in fallen human nature is the desire to be great. The desire to be admired. The desire to be applauded. We learn to excel at many things to gain the accolades we desire. They become our life’s fuel.

And then….Jesus. When we meet Him it changes everything. In the fervor of first love we would willingly become less than nothing that He might be all. But then we gain spiritual knowledge and step out into some ministry or other…and well meaning people praise us. It is at this point that those old prideful desires make an appearance, and sometimes they become the driving force of our spiritual life.

We want to write the best blog, record the best video, create the most spiritually relevant posts. Our adrenaline level mirrors our “likes”. We begin to live for the praise of men, although we would never admit it (and possibly may not even be aware of it).

Until eventually we find that everything we’ve been giving our life to is wood, hay and stubble and Jesus is in none of it.

It is time to come to another level of being nothing, that Christ may be all.

The world is waiting

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1 Corinthians 2:4-5 And my speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, that your faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.

I believe that I serve a God of power. Not just 2,000 years ago, but now. Here. Somewhere along the way the church has forgotten this and has lost the faith to believe for it. And so now all our preaching has to be eloquent and clever. The skill of the preacher energizes an otherwise average message. The power of personality is displayed instead of the power of God. And so, men and women trust in the cleverly worded sermons and the artful turn of a phrase and never see a glorious Christ with the power to save.

4 ways to have a happy marriage

10 steps to financial prosperity

6 secrets to a disciplined life

But where is the power of God? Where is the radical transformation of a life that has been touched by fire from heaven? Where are disciples ablaze with an otherworldly love and passion?

These cannot be produced by the thrashings of our fleshly attempts at ministry. We need a move of God. The world is waiting.

Is that you, Haman?

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The name Haman means “magnificent” and Haman certainly seemed to want to live up to his name. The first mention of Haman is when he was elevated to a position of prominence by King Ahasuerus. In fact, he was elevated above all the other princes in the kingdom and the king commanded that everyone bow and pay homage to Haman. That seems pretty magnificent. But it wasn’t enough for Haman, because there was one man who refused to honor him – Mordecai (whose name means “little man”). Mordecai was no noble personage or prominent dignitary, but Haman was infuriated at Mordecai’s refusal to venerate him. His wrath was so great that he not only wanted to destroy Mordecai, but every single one of the Jews in the kingdom. And so the plotting began.

He formulated and finalized his plan.  The date was set for the extermination of the Jews and the elimination of Mordecai.  And now he waited.

The plot thickens – what Haman didn’t know was that Queen Esther was also a Jew, and when she was made aware of Haman’s plans she began seeking a way to undo what Haman had done.  It started with a private dinner party for the king and Haman, with neither of them yet knowing the purpose, except that Queen Esther asked them to return to another private dinner party the next day.  Haman returned to his house that evening and his response to the day is in classic Haman style:

Esther 5:11-13 Then Haman told them of his great riches, the multitude of his children, everything in which the king had promoted him, and how he had advanced him above the officials and servants of the king. Moreover Haman said, “Besides, Queen Esther invited no one but me to come in with the king to the banquet that she prepared; and tomorrow I am again invited by her, along with the king. Yet all this avails me nothing, so long as I see Mordecai the Jew sitting at the king’s gate.”

His desire to be honored by every single person overshadowed all else.  He couldn’t rejoice in any good that came to him because there was ONE person in the entire kingdom that didn’t honor him appropriately.

The next day all his plotting was exposed, Haman was hanged on the gallows that he had built to execute Mordecai and the book of Esther ends with the magnificent one being disgraced and the little man being elevated.

Beloved, pride is an ugly beast that will turn on you and tear you to pieces. If we are honest, we have all experienced a little bit (or maybe a lot) of Haman rising up in us at times.   We want to be noticed.  We want to be important.  We want people to think we are special.  But Jesus told us this: 

But many who are first will be last, and the last first.”  Mark 10:31

…but whoever desires to become great among you, let him be your servant.  Matthew 20:26

The servant of Jesus Chris does not seek his own honor and the building of his own kingdom. If everyone else is exalted and given a place of prominence, and you continue to be unnoticed, be assured that your Lord sees and knows. Any rewards, any reputation, any status we receive on earth will pass away. Heaven is the place for real and lasting rewards. You may feel like a “little man” but you are “magnificent” in Jesus. Maybe nobody else sees it. He does. That has to be enough.

No time for retreat

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Mark 8:36-38 For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him the Son of Man also will be ashamed when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels.”

I don’t know if this verse has ever hit me as profoundly as it did in my most recent reading of it. I have definitely had experiences of being mocked and ridiculed for believing and preaching God‘s word. That certainly isn’t a pleasant thing to go through, but like many others before me, I survived it 😊.

Things have changed a great deal in recent years. The stakes have gotten higher and as people whose whole lives and value systems have been built upon the word of God, it may cost us more than we ever expected.

There have been times in recent years that we have seen surprising concessions by leaders in the body of Christ as things that God has always called sin have become accepted and applauded not only in secular society, but also within portions of the “church”.  Rather than risk seeming unloving, the clear teachings of the Bible have been watered down so that we don’t offend anyone.  Some pastors have refused to take a stand for righteousness because if they do they may face retaliation. Tolerance is the new buzzword, except of course when it regards matters of faith. You can believe anything you like in your heart, but if the wrong person hears it coming out of your mouth you could find yourself in serious trouble. The pressure to conform and be silent comes from every direction.

Don’t do it!

The word of God is still true and it is still the power of God unto salvation. Jesus never told us that everybody would love us or His message through us. In fact He told us just the opposite.

John 15:19 If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.

John 15:18 If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you.

I want to encourage you today to stand boldly for Jesus and don’t be ashamed of His words. They are spirit and they are life.

Putting the pieces together

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Mark 8:18 Having eyes, do you not see? And having ears, do you not hear? And do you not remember?

When Jesus began to warn the disciples about the leaven of the Pharisees, they thought he was talking about bread. They thought he was saying these things because they had forgotten to bring bread with them. Jesus had just multiplied bread and fish for the second time right before the disciples got into the boat to cross over. Already they are concerned about a lack of bread.

How many times has God intervened in your life in a supernatural way where He’s done something really miraculous for you, solved a problem or answered a question or brought provision? In that moment we believe that we will never forget what God has done for us and that this will be such a boost to our faith for all time. But usually within just a matter of days we have forgotten and we are again fretting and complaining and wondering if God will come through.

Mark 8:21 So He said to them, “How is it you do not understand?”

The word understand is “syniemi” and it means put together, i.e. join facts into a comprehensive inter-locking whole

We might say it this way, that it’s putting two and two together. They had been with Jesus when there was a need for food for the multitude and He provided it. Then on another occasion there was a need for food for the multitude and He provided it. Times without number there were people who needed healing and deliverance and He provided it. Putting two and two together means we recognize that whatever our need is we have a Savior who is able to meet it. We need fear no lack, no problem. We just need to remember the testimony of God that we have already experienced in our lives, knowing that He is the same God today.

He wants us to remember that time we were sick and we went to the doctor, then to the medicine cabinet, and found no relief. Then we went to Him and He healed us.

He wants us to remember the time our heart was broken and we went to our best friend and we went to our mom, and found no relief. Then we went to Him and He comforted us.

He wants us to remember the time we fell into sin and devastated our life and had nowhere else to go. So we went to Him and He forgave us and restored us.

So often I have a tendency to live my life as a series of disconnected events. But He is writing a story and building a testimony into my life and every piece along the way is an important part of the whole. When all the pieces come together they make a beautiful picture of the work of God in us.

Choosing wisely

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Mark 3:6-8 Then the Pharisees went out and immediately plotted with the Herodians against Him, how they might destroy Him. But Jesus withdrew with His disciples to the sea. And a great multitude from Galilee followed Him, and from Judea and Jerusalem and Idumea and beyond the Jordan; and those from Tyre and Sidon, a great multitude, when they heard how many things He was doing, came to Him.

Often we observe that the scribes, Pharisees and other religious leaders had a very different reaction to Jesus than the common people did. The people traveled great distances to see Him. They listened attentively as He taught, recognizing an authority and a weightiness to His words. They humbly brought their brokenness and need before Him to receive healing, deliverance and help from Him

The elites were not like this. They listened to judge and criticize. They came to see Him in order to condemn Him. They were jealous of the demonstrations of His power which made them all too aware of their own lack of power. And for them, this is what it was all about – power. They didn’t care about the people who were in such need, they cared about themselves and protecting their own positions.

The elites wanted prestige, reputation and position. The common people just wanted Jesus. One group pursued what was temporal and the other, what was eternal. Each made a choice, just as we do. Choose wisely beloved.

A very covid Thanksgiving

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I planned to have dinner with family but a coworker’s positive covid test changed my plans. At noon while everyone else was enjoying a meal, I was sitting in my car waiting to be called inside for my covid test. I wasn’t alone. There were many other occupied cars in the parking lot. I’m sure they hadn’t planned to spend their day this way either.

It isn’t the day I had planned. But it is the day that I’m having – so thank You Jesus anyway 😊

Update: test was negative 😊

Leaving the leaven alone

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1 Corinthians 5:6b Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump?

Paul wrote this in the context of a sinning believer who was left uncorrected and became a source of corruption with the possibility to contaminate the whole body. I believe it equally applies to us as individual believers.

While we are “in the world but not of the world” we are often far too comfortable partaking of the things of the world. We are deceived when we think that this will leave us unaffected. Just like leaven, carnality and wordiness in one area will work its way through the entire life.

As I’m writing this our nation is in limbo as a presidential election has been contested and the whole country seems to be divided. Everywhere you look there is political commentary and I must confess that I’ve struggled with staying free of it. There just a desire to know what’s going on – not that we can really know.

Many of the political commentators on both sides are biased, harsh and angry. Who can listen to a steady diet of this and not be affected in their spirit?

Feeding on the things of this world, even when they don’t seem to be overtly wicked, will dampen your spiritual senses and quench your spiritual fire. It’s not worth it.

Leave the leaven alone.

Your labor will be rewarded

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1 Corinthians 3:8 Now he who plants and he who waters are one, and each one will receive his own reward according to his own labor.

I know people who seem to have the “Midas touch” in ministry. Not that everything they touch turns to gold, but everything they touch turns to fruit for the kingdom. It seems that almost effortlessly everything they do in the name of Jesus is profitable. The people they share the gospel with are profoundly affected and get saved. People they pray for get healed. They teach the truths of God’s word with great wisdom and authority.

And then there are other people, who seek God like crazy and yearn to make a difference in this life for the kingdom and have significant periods of time that yield no fruit.

I’ve read stories of missionaries that labored their whole lives in almost unbearable conditions to bring the gospel to a heathen people group. They live and die seeing no conversions to Christ. But the next missionary comes and the harvest is so ripe it requires almost no labor on his part.

So, getting really real here, I often feel like the one always desiring and laboring that my life would be profitable for the kingdom of God, and mostly feeling like it isn’t. Always sowing, rarely reaping. In frustration, ready to stop trying and just wait for heaven.

But at the same time, I can’t stop. Inside there is such a stirring to speak of Him, write of Him, that maybe somebody, somewhere at sometime might be helped.

Sometimes I am overwhelmed with discouragement.

A number of years ago somebody shared a video with me that has encouraged me tremendously. I want to share it with you now. It’s about 8 minutes long but well worth the time to listen.

https://youtu.be/SkjMvPhLrn8

I hope it encourages you as well, to continue in your service to the Lord, even when you cannot see the fruit.