And all the believers met together in one place and shared everything they had. - Acts 2:44 (NLT)
All the believers were united in heart and mind. And they felt that what they owned was not their own, so they shared everything they had. - Acts 4:32 (NLT)
In introducing the “Back to the Basics” series, John related the story of a leader who found an odd way to bring his people hope. The leader was Herb Brooks, coach of the US Hockey team for 1980 Winter Olympics. When he inherited the team, it was comprised of a rabble of unruly rivals, unsavory attitudes, back-biters, glory hounds, and uncooperative babies. (Sounds an awful lot like the modern-day church.) Coach tried all of the usual psychological coaching techniques to get them on the same page but each attempt was met with humiliating failure. Arguments and fights were the norm. After all the failures to bring them together, there was little hope they would even take the ice. Then, Coach Brooks tried something different. In order to help his team find at least one thing in common and as a last resort, he decided to make them hate him. Practices became a living hell for the players as they did drill after drill and sprint after sprint. Coach hollered constantly and always demanded more than was humanly possible. After games, the work was not finished, because they were back on the ice, sprinting and doing drills. The players began to bicker and complain. But their complaints were no longer aimed at other teammates, but at the coach. They began talking and sharing stories of their “abuse” by the coach. And slowly, they realized they had something in common and became a team. A team that would go on to shock the world by beating the top-ranked Russian and Swedish sides and winning the gold medal. All while praising the coach and others they had once despised.
When God reminded John of the film in his message, it was no mistake. It was an appropriate way to spark the series because it’s the entire process laid out before us. We are a group from many different walks of life, with issues and personalities as diverse as our looks. And like the “Miracle on Ice” team, we must find common ground. Not a hate of our coach (even if John pisses you off sometimes) but of the hope we have in Jesus. If you get down to the heart of the matter, that’s what this (Refuge) is all about.
Jesus. And our hope of a closer relationship with him and others.
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
Author's Note
Greetings, LifeTogether family. As we sit on the cusp of the third month of these devotionals, things must be said. First, thank you for your faithfulness in joining as one to forever change our relationship with Jesus by walking through these devotions. Together. As one body. As Refuge. My prayerful hope never wavers - that He changes you through His leading, the Scripture, and the readings as much as he changes me as I write them.
Second, I want you to be aware of a change in focus with the LifeTogether devotions. For the time being, we’ll set aside the book of Mark and use the devotions to elaborate on, and reinforce, the Scriptures and thoughts John delivers in his “Back to the Basics” sermon series. For those of you wishing to go even deeper, take advantage of Jason’s toil and technology and listen to the sermons again before embarking on this month’s devotions. Or drop the dollar for the cds. Nothing you sow into the kingdom of God returns null and void.
With that said, experience the next chapter in the LifeTogether journey. I continue to praise God for adopting me into His family and thank you for welcoming us into the Refuge family.
Second, I want you to be aware of a change in focus with the LifeTogether devotions. For the time being, we’ll set aside the book of Mark and use the devotions to elaborate on, and reinforce, the Scriptures and thoughts John delivers in his “Back to the Basics” sermon series. For those of you wishing to go even deeper, take advantage of Jason’s toil and technology and listen to the sermons again before embarking on this month’s devotions. Or drop the dollar for the cds. Nothing you sow into the kingdom of God returns null and void.
With that said, experience the next chapter in the LifeTogether journey. I continue to praise God for adopting me into His family and thank you for welcoming us into the Refuge family.
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
End-of-the-Month Reflection and Meditation
Well, done. Good and faithful servant…
If you have made it this far, you have nearly completed two month’s worth of devotionals. My prayerful hope is your relationship with Jesus has never been as close and intimate as it is now. Take a few minutes to praise and thank him for walking with you over the last month. Then take a few more minutes to finish the reflection questions.
1. Has your personal relationship with Jesus changed over the last month? Explain.
2. Of all the Scripture, devotionals, sermons, or meditations, which one stuck out the most to you? Why? Explain.
3. How have you applied what you have learned or read to your daily life? Be specific.
4. What can you begin doing today to share what you’ve learned with others? Be specific.
5. List some reasons why you’re thankful to God.
6. Pause to praise God. Thank Him for who He is and all He has done for us. Confess any lingering sin. Accept his forgiveness. Ask of Him your needs (and even your wants).
7. Remember… Jesus loves you just as you are, but He also loves you too much to let you stay that way!
If you have made it this far, you have nearly completed two month’s worth of devotionals. My prayerful hope is your relationship with Jesus has never been as close and intimate as it is now. Take a few minutes to praise and thank him for walking with you over the last month. Then take a few more minutes to finish the reflection questions.
1. Has your personal relationship with Jesus changed over the last month? Explain.
2. Of all the Scripture, devotionals, sermons, or meditations, which one stuck out the most to you? Why? Explain.
3. How have you applied what you have learned or read to your daily life? Be specific.
4. What can you begin doing today to share what you’ve learned with others? Be specific.
5. List some reasons why you’re thankful to God.
6. Pause to praise God. Thank Him for who He is and all He has done for us. Confess any lingering sin. Accept his forgiveness. Ask of Him your needs (and even your wants).
7. Remember… Jesus loves you just as you are, but He also loves you too much to let you stay that way!
Monday, November 28, 2011
The Scraps of Heaven
Mark 7: 24-30 (NLT)
Then Jesus left Galilee and went north to the region of Tyre. He didn’t want anyone to know which house he was staying in, but he couldn’t keep it a secret. Right away a woman who had heard about him came and fell at his feet. Her little girl was possessed by an evilspirit, and she begged him to cast out the demon from her daughter. Since she was a Gentile, born in Syrian Phoenicia, Jesus told her, “First I should feed the children—my own family, the Jews.It isn’t right to take food from the children and throw it to the dogs.” She replied, “That’s true, Lord, but even the dogs under the table are allowed to eat the scraps from the children’s plates.” “Good answer!” he said. “Now go home, for the demon has left your daughter.” And when she arrived home, she found her little girl lying quietly in bed, and the demon was gone.
It’s the peaceful, quiet moment in the midst of a personal storm. It’s the healing coursing through your fragile human body. It’s the encouraging Word during the Sunday morning message. It’s the mood altering chords and lyrics of a worship song. It’s the random act of kindness from a friend. It’s the life-changing encounter with a stranger. It’s the unexpected check in the mail before the bill is due. It’s the playful love and wonder of a toddler.
They’re all scraps from heaven.
For whatever reason, when I read this Gospel story, I think of the table being the great divide between heaven and earth. Those already wallowing in the indescribable glory of God’s presence are feasting at the table. Every once in a while though, one of the scraps from that miraculous meal spills off the table and falls to us “dogs” down here on earth. They fall in the form of those things listed in the previous paragraph and they display to us God’s love and his constant reminder of that love.
I admitted in a devotion long ago that I’m a sucker for a good story - especially a truthful one about God’s grace (scraps from heaven). So allow me to share one here.
Some years ago, a little girl was born with a painful condition which made it next to impossible to touch her. It was some sort of nerve ending disorder where the slightest contact sent ripples of fiery pain through her little body. The doctors had to devise a contraption to cradle her to give her some comfort but her mom and dad could only have minimal snuggling time. As you can imagine, it broke the parent’s hearts. But they trusted in God and prayed and over the course of a few years, Jesus healed the little girl. The full extent of her healing came as she sat in the bleachers with her folks watching her brother’s baseball game. An afternoon shower was brewing when her head shot up suddenly, startling her parents. “Do you smell that?” she cried out. “What…What is it? Rain?” her parents stammered. “Yes, rain. But it smells just like Jesus. I remember how he smells because he used to rock me as a baby.” The parents realized that when they couldn’t hold their own baby, Jesus had been cradling her the entire time. And they praised God because of it.
A scrap from heaven.
Then Jesus left Galilee and went north to the region of Tyre. He didn’t want anyone to know which house he was staying in, but he couldn’t keep it a secret. Right away a woman who had heard about him came and fell at his feet. Her little girl was possessed by an evilspirit, and she begged him to cast out the demon from her daughter. Since she was a Gentile, born in Syrian Phoenicia, Jesus told her, “First I should feed the children—my own family, the Jews.It isn’t right to take food from the children and throw it to the dogs.” She replied, “That’s true, Lord, but even the dogs under the table are allowed to eat the scraps from the children’s plates.” “Good answer!” he said. “Now go home, for the demon has left your daughter.” And when she arrived home, she found her little girl lying quietly in bed, and the demon was gone.
It’s the peaceful, quiet moment in the midst of a personal storm. It’s the healing coursing through your fragile human body. It’s the encouraging Word during the Sunday morning message. It’s the mood altering chords and lyrics of a worship song. It’s the random act of kindness from a friend. It’s the life-changing encounter with a stranger. It’s the unexpected check in the mail before the bill is due. It’s the playful love and wonder of a toddler.
They’re all scraps from heaven.
For whatever reason, when I read this Gospel story, I think of the table being the great divide between heaven and earth. Those already wallowing in the indescribable glory of God’s presence are feasting at the table. Every once in a while though, one of the scraps from that miraculous meal spills off the table and falls to us “dogs” down here on earth. They fall in the form of those things listed in the previous paragraph and they display to us God’s love and his constant reminder of that love.
I admitted in a devotion long ago that I’m a sucker for a good story - especially a truthful one about God’s grace (scraps from heaven). So allow me to share one here.
Some years ago, a little girl was born with a painful condition which made it next to impossible to touch her. It was some sort of nerve ending disorder where the slightest contact sent ripples of fiery pain through her little body. The doctors had to devise a contraption to cradle her to give her some comfort but her mom and dad could only have minimal snuggling time. As you can imagine, it broke the parent’s hearts. But they trusted in God and prayed and over the course of a few years, Jesus healed the little girl. The full extent of her healing came as she sat in the bleachers with her folks watching her brother’s baseball game. An afternoon shower was brewing when her head shot up suddenly, startling her parents. “Do you smell that?” she cried out. “What…What is it? Rain?” her parents stammered. “Yes, rain. But it smells just like Jesus. I remember how he smells because he used to rock me as a baby.” The parents realized that when they couldn’t hold their own baby, Jesus had been cradling her the entire time. And they praised God because of it.
A scrap from heaven.
Sunday, November 27, 2011
Scrubbing the Heart
Mark 7: 17-23 (NLT)
Then Jesus went into a house to get away from the crowd, and his disciples asked him what he meant by the parable he had just used. “Don’t you understand either?” he asked. “Can’t you see that the food you put into your body cannot defile you? Food doesn’t go into your heart, but only passes through the stomach and then goes into the sewer.” (By saying this, he declared that every kind of food is acceptable in God’s eyes.) And then he added, “It is what comes from inside that defiles you. For from within, out of a person’s heart, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, wickedness, deceit, lustful desires, envy, slander, pride, and foolishness. All these vile things come from within; they are what defile you.”
On Friday, we studied a metaphor of what goes on in your heart when it deals with thoughts. How you have a guard keeper whose job it is to deter the corrupt thoughts of the flesh while welcoming in the righteous, holy ones. Now, we turn our attention to the uncomfortable task of self-analysis. Not the thoughts vying to get in to your heart, but those already making a home there. In recovery circles, we call this “taking inventory.” Looking at ourselves honestly and transparently. No air-brushing. No gray areas. No pie-in-the-sky thinking. Just the real, raw, and relevant you!
Read through the “unclean” list in verses twenty-two through twenty-three.
(Don’t skip this part! Really read back through them!)
Now ask yourself the following questions, which all correlate with the list above. Answer them honestly. This is between you and God:
Does your mouth utter unwholesome talk, from innuendo to gossip? Do you want women, men, or other things you don’t have? Do you steal physical possessions or the joy from others? Are you cutting people down with your words or actions? Are you involved in a physical, mental, or emotional affair with another besides your spouse? Do you want what you can’t have? Are you constantly racked with evil, sinful thoughts? Do you cheat people or only offer half-truths? Do you go around flirting and fanning the flames of lustful behavior? Do you narrow your eyes at people who offend you? Are you involved in a lie about someone else to ruin them personally? Are you too good to ask for help or to admit you don’t know it all? Do you behave more like an immature child than an adult?
If you answered yes to these, you aren’t alone. But its these types of things which make for an unclean heart before God. Before finishing your quiet time today, I encourage you to talk to God. Confess those things. Know that He loves you and desires to forgive you and renew a right heart within you.
Then Jesus went into a house to get away from the crowd, and his disciples asked him what he meant by the parable he had just used. “Don’t you understand either?” he asked. “Can’t you see that the food you put into your body cannot defile you? Food doesn’t go into your heart, but only passes through the stomach and then goes into the sewer.” (By saying this, he declared that every kind of food is acceptable in God’s eyes.) And then he added, “It is what comes from inside that defiles you. For from within, out of a person’s heart, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, wickedness, deceit, lustful desires, envy, slander, pride, and foolishness. All these vile things come from within; they are what defile you.”
On Friday, we studied a metaphor of what goes on in your heart when it deals with thoughts. How you have a guard keeper whose job it is to deter the corrupt thoughts of the flesh while welcoming in the righteous, holy ones. Now, we turn our attention to the uncomfortable task of self-analysis. Not the thoughts vying to get in to your heart, but those already making a home there. In recovery circles, we call this “taking inventory.” Looking at ourselves honestly and transparently. No air-brushing. No gray areas. No pie-in-the-sky thinking. Just the real, raw, and relevant you!
Read through the “unclean” list in verses twenty-two through twenty-three.
(Don’t skip this part! Really read back through them!)
Now ask yourself the following questions, which all correlate with the list above. Answer them honestly. This is between you and God:
Does your mouth utter unwholesome talk, from innuendo to gossip? Do you want women, men, or other things you don’t have? Do you steal physical possessions or the joy from others? Are you cutting people down with your words or actions? Are you involved in a physical, mental, or emotional affair with another besides your spouse? Do you want what you can’t have? Are you constantly racked with evil, sinful thoughts? Do you cheat people or only offer half-truths? Do you go around flirting and fanning the flames of lustful behavior? Do you narrow your eyes at people who offend you? Are you involved in a lie about someone else to ruin them personally? Are you too good to ask for help or to admit you don’t know it all? Do you behave more like an immature child than an adult?
If you answered yes to these, you aren’t alone. But its these types of things which make for an unclean heart before God. Before finishing your quiet time today, I encourage you to talk to God. Confess those things. Know that He loves you and desires to forgive you and renew a right heart within you.
Saturday, November 26, 2011
Morning Message
Scripture References:
Title or topic of message:
Notes:
Questions I have about the message:
How can I apply this message to my life?
Title or topic of message:
Notes:
Questions I have about the message:
How can I apply this message to my life?
Friday, November 25, 2011
Reflection and Meditation
This week, we have discussed issues like the adventure of faith, facing the skeletons in our closet, Refuge as the body of Christ, relationship over religion, and taking our thoughts captive to see their motives.
With that in mind, reflect and meditate on the following questions:
1. Describe your journey of faith from its beginning to the present? List some things you have learned as a result of your spiritual “climb.” Take a minute and thank God for carrying you through it and teaching you those lessons.
2. Do you have any skeletons, any unconfessed sins that haunt you? If you do, what is holding you back from giving those to God? If not, list some accountability measures to keep it place so that no more “ghosts” pop up.
3. Do you truly believe that Jesus can change lives through His Body here at Refuge? What things can you give God to make this “dream” a reality. Begin today praying specifically that God will help us shine so bright that people will come running from all over the community to worship with us.
4. Are you involved in religion or relationship? Do you follow church guidelines and standards because you think you’re expected to or because you love, and want to please, the Savior?
5. Can you honestly say that you are taking every thought captive and interrogating it for motives? What things can you put in place to strengthen the “guard” at your heart? If you don’t have one already, consider asking a close friend to be your accountability partner. Share your thoughts with them and pray together about this very issue.
With that in mind, reflect and meditate on the following questions:
1. Describe your journey of faith from its beginning to the present? List some things you have learned as a result of your spiritual “climb.” Take a minute and thank God for carrying you through it and teaching you those lessons.
2. Do you have any skeletons, any unconfessed sins that haunt you? If you do, what is holding you back from giving those to God? If not, list some accountability measures to keep it place so that no more “ghosts” pop up.
3. Do you truly believe that Jesus can change lives through His Body here at Refuge? What things can you give God to make this “dream” a reality. Begin today praying specifically that God will help us shine so bright that people will come running from all over the community to worship with us.
4. Are you involved in religion or relationship? Do you follow church guidelines and standards because you think you’re expected to or because you love, and want to please, the Savior?
5. Can you honestly say that you are taking every thought captive and interrogating it for motives? What things can you put in place to strengthen the “guard” at your heart? If you don’t have one already, consider asking a close friend to be your accountability partner. Share your thoughts with them and pray together about this very issue.
Thursday, November 24, 2011
Clean and Unclean
Mark 7: 9-16 (NLT)
Then he said, “You skillfully sidestep God’s law in order to hold on to your own tradition. For instance, Moses gave you this law from God: ‘Honor your father and mother, and ‘Anyone who speaks disrespectfully of father or mother must be put to death. But you say it is all right for people to say to their parents, ‘Sorry, I can’t help you. For I have vowed to give to God what I would have given to you.’ In this way, you let them disregard their needy parents. And so you cancel the word of God in order to hand down your own tradition. And this is only one example among many others.” Then Jesus called to the crowd to come and hear. “All of you listen,” he said, “and try to understand. It’s not what goes into your body that defiles you; you are defiled by what comes from your heart.”
If you’ve lived long enough, you know all too well the depraved state of our society. Sin runs rampant, from illicit sexual pleasures, to the greed of money and possessions, to desires for people or things not ours, to godless acts of violence and perversion. As deplorable as these things are, they don’t make us unclean. Its only when we allow these things on the outside to come in the door of our hearts that they wreak havoc. It's when they return to the outside taking our very soul with them.
This is how it was taught to me by my mentors and how I will now pass it on to you as well.
We all have a heart. And not just in a literal sense. On our heart is a door and at that door is a guard. Whenever thoughts, both good and bad, approach the heart, they must encounter the guard. Our guard is stronger if empowered by the Holy Spirit and obviously weaker without the connection. If acting according to the Word, the guard must take EVERY though captive (2 Corinthians 10:5) to see if its Godly and uplifting. Depending on our level of spiritual maturity, many of the thoughts from the list above may be included. Our guard must be prepared to keep our heart clean by running off or killing those lustful thoughts. If our guard slips up or flirts with those lusts, they will weasel by and begin their pollution. Left unchecked, these lusts will further materialize in our actions. And the uncleanness is complete.
Can you see the difference? Do you understand what Jesus is talking about? That it's not the outside things which pollute us but those things coming from within. Finally, consider this thought from (my favorite) author and thinker C.S. Lewis, which reiterates this Scripture:
“If we insist on keeping hell (or even earth) we shall not see Heaven: if we accept Heaven we shall not be able to retain even the smallest and most intimate souvenirs of hell.”
Then he said, “You skillfully sidestep God’s law in order to hold on to your own tradition. For instance, Moses gave you this law from God: ‘Honor your father and mother, and ‘Anyone who speaks disrespectfully of father or mother must be put to death. But you say it is all right for people to say to their parents, ‘Sorry, I can’t help you. For I have vowed to give to God what I would have given to you.’ In this way, you let them disregard their needy parents. And so you cancel the word of God in order to hand down your own tradition. And this is only one example among many others.” Then Jesus called to the crowd to come and hear. “All of you listen,” he said, “and try to understand. It’s not what goes into your body that defiles you; you are defiled by what comes from your heart.”
If you’ve lived long enough, you know all too well the depraved state of our society. Sin runs rampant, from illicit sexual pleasures, to the greed of money and possessions, to desires for people or things not ours, to godless acts of violence and perversion. As deplorable as these things are, they don’t make us unclean. Its only when we allow these things on the outside to come in the door of our hearts that they wreak havoc. It's when they return to the outside taking our very soul with them.
This is how it was taught to me by my mentors and how I will now pass it on to you as well.
We all have a heart. And not just in a literal sense. On our heart is a door and at that door is a guard. Whenever thoughts, both good and bad, approach the heart, they must encounter the guard. Our guard is stronger if empowered by the Holy Spirit and obviously weaker without the connection. If acting according to the Word, the guard must take EVERY though captive (2 Corinthians 10:5) to see if its Godly and uplifting. Depending on our level of spiritual maturity, many of the thoughts from the list above may be included. Our guard must be prepared to keep our heart clean by running off or killing those lustful thoughts. If our guard slips up or flirts with those lusts, they will weasel by and begin their pollution. Left unchecked, these lusts will further materialize in our actions. And the uncleanness is complete.
Can you see the difference? Do you understand what Jesus is talking about? That it's not the outside things which pollute us but those things coming from within. Finally, consider this thought from (my favorite) author and thinker C.S. Lewis, which reiterates this Scripture:
“If we insist on keeping hell (or even earth) we shall not see Heaven: if we accept Heaven we shall not be able to retain even the smallest and most intimate souvenirs of hell.”
Wednesday, November 23, 2011
Relationship Not Religion
Mark 7: 1-8 (NLT)
One day some Pharisees and teachers of religious law arrived from Jerusalem to see Jesus. They noticed that some of his disciples failed to follow the Jewish ritual of hand washing before eating. (The Jews, especially the Pharisees, do not eat until they have poured water over their cupped hands, as required by their ancient traditions. Similarly, they don’t eat anything from the market until they immerse their hands in water. This is but one of many traditions they have clung to — such as their ceremonial washing of cups, pitchers, and kettles. So the Pharisees and teachers of religious law asked him, “Why don’t your disciples follow our age-old tradition? They eat without first performing the hand-washing ceremony.” Jesus replied, “You hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you, for he wrote,
‘These people honor me with their lips,
but their hearts are far from me.
Their worship is a farce,
for they teach man-made ideas as commands from God.’
For you ignore God’s law and substitute your own tradition.”
Many of us at Refuge have stepped out of other churches to join the fellowship here. The reasons we have done so are numerous. Some of us have done so to escape the bondage of rigorous religious traditions and man-made standards . Religion has obscured the grace, mercy, and love of Christ into a list of “do’s and don’ts.” This hits home with some of you. Remember the days of being at the church every time the doors are open. Remember the pressures of trying to be perfect, reading your Bible daily, saying the correct prayer so God will hear you, making yourself feel guilty for things out of your control, staying in a spiritually sanitized environment, not associating with sinners, bowing your head and folding your hands to pray, throwing a certain amount in the offering plate, wearing holiness clothes, adopting doctrinal speaking points as Scripture, never questioning anything (and being judged if doing so). Remember the “us versus them” mentality, the “holier-than-thou” arguments. Remember the gnawing hypocrisy of sweeping dirty things under the rug.
Even if Refuge is the only church you’ve ever attended, you can no doubt remember the damages of religion. It’s a sickness within the church and it’s a sickness Jesus dealt with head on during his time walking the earth. Jesus hated religion and despised the traditions of the religious scholars. They had taken a relationship with God and turned into a religion. They served the system rather than the Savior.
My prayer is we not be bound with the chains of religion but with the freedom of a relationship with Jesus Christ.
One day some Pharisees and teachers of religious law arrived from Jerusalem to see Jesus. They noticed that some of his disciples failed to follow the Jewish ritual of hand washing before eating. (The Jews, especially the Pharisees, do not eat until they have poured water over their cupped hands, as required by their ancient traditions. Similarly, they don’t eat anything from the market until they immerse their hands in water. This is but one of many traditions they have clung to — such as their ceremonial washing of cups, pitchers, and kettles. So the Pharisees and teachers of religious law asked him, “Why don’t your disciples follow our age-old tradition? They eat without first performing the hand-washing ceremony.” Jesus replied, “You hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you, for he wrote,
‘These people honor me with their lips,
but their hearts are far from me.
Their worship is a farce,
for they teach man-made ideas as commands from God.’
For you ignore God’s law and substitute your own tradition.”
Many of us at Refuge have stepped out of other churches to join the fellowship here. The reasons we have done so are numerous. Some of us have done so to escape the bondage of rigorous religious traditions and man-made standards . Religion has obscured the grace, mercy, and love of Christ into a list of “do’s and don’ts.” This hits home with some of you. Remember the days of being at the church every time the doors are open. Remember the pressures of trying to be perfect, reading your Bible daily, saying the correct prayer so God will hear you, making yourself feel guilty for things out of your control, staying in a spiritually sanitized environment, not associating with sinners, bowing your head and folding your hands to pray, throwing a certain amount in the offering plate, wearing holiness clothes, adopting doctrinal speaking points as Scripture, never questioning anything (and being judged if doing so). Remember the “us versus them” mentality, the “holier-than-thou” arguments. Remember the gnawing hypocrisy of sweeping dirty things under the rug.
Even if Refuge is the only church you’ve ever attended, you can no doubt remember the damages of religion. It’s a sickness within the church and it’s a sickness Jesus dealt with head on during his time walking the earth. Jesus hated religion and despised the traditions of the religious scholars. They had taken a relationship with God and turned into a religion. They served the system rather than the Savior.
My prayer is we not be bound with the chains of religion but with the freedom of a relationship with Jesus Christ.
Tuesday, November 22, 2011
Refuge As the Body of Christ
Mark 6: 53-56 (NLT)
After they had crossed the lake, they landed at Gennesaret. They brought the boat to shore and climbed out. The people recognized Jesus at once, and they ran throughout the whole area, carrying sick people on mats to wherever they heard he was. Wherever he went — in villages, cities, or the countryside — they brought the sick out to the marketplaces. They begged him to let the sick touch at least the fringe of his robe, and all who touched him were healed.
I don’t claim to be a prophet; nor do I brag about seeing future events. I do, however, consider myself a man of faith, hope, and love. And Hebrews 11:1 states, “Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.” (NIV). So allow me to speak of something I “hope for and am certain of”: people from all over this community running in droves to find hope and healing at Refuge. Not because we are Refuge but because we have stepped into the role of Jesus, become his hands and feet, his body.
In the Gospel reading today, we follow Jesus as he wanders about the whole region healing people and ministering to the needs of those communities. They mobbed him. Even those touching the edge of his clothes were being healed! What life-changing power! Now here is the kicker - we (the church, Refuge) are the body of Christ, meaning when we get serious about walking with God, we can do similar things.
I can envision the look on some of your faces as you read this (because I’ve been there). Are you telling us people will flood into Refuge and we will heal people and be the talk of the entire community? These are not my words but those of Jesus Himself. “..There are no “ifs” among believers. Anything can happen.” (Mark 9:23, The Message). “…What is impossible with men is possible with God.” (Luke 18:27, NIV). “…Ask in my name, according to my will, and He’ll [the Father] most certainly give it to you.” (John 16:23, The Message).
Everyday, I find myself closer and closer to taking God at his word. What if you and I together, what if all of Refuge would start walking in this type of faith? What if we not only believed in Jesus but became His body? What if we had the faith to see our mission statement come to fruition?
What if people saw Jesus-in-us so clearly that they come running to Refuge from all over the community?
After they had crossed the lake, they landed at Gennesaret. They brought the boat to shore and climbed out. The people recognized Jesus at once, and they ran throughout the whole area, carrying sick people on mats to wherever they heard he was. Wherever he went — in villages, cities, or the countryside — they brought the sick out to the marketplaces. They begged him to let the sick touch at least the fringe of his robe, and all who touched him were healed.
I don’t claim to be a prophet; nor do I brag about seeing future events. I do, however, consider myself a man of faith, hope, and love. And Hebrews 11:1 states, “Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.” (NIV). So allow me to speak of something I “hope for and am certain of”: people from all over this community running in droves to find hope and healing at Refuge. Not because we are Refuge but because we have stepped into the role of Jesus, become his hands and feet, his body.
In the Gospel reading today, we follow Jesus as he wanders about the whole region healing people and ministering to the needs of those communities. They mobbed him. Even those touching the edge of his clothes were being healed! What life-changing power! Now here is the kicker - we (the church, Refuge) are the body of Christ, meaning when we get serious about walking with God, we can do similar things.
I can envision the look on some of your faces as you read this (because I’ve been there). Are you telling us people will flood into Refuge and we will heal people and be the talk of the entire community? These are not my words but those of Jesus Himself. “..There are no “ifs” among believers. Anything can happen.” (Mark 9:23, The Message). “…What is impossible with men is possible with God.” (Luke 18:27, NIV). “…Ask in my name, according to my will, and He’ll [the Father] most certainly give it to you.” (John 16:23, The Message).
Everyday, I find myself closer and closer to taking God at his word. What if you and I together, what if all of Refuge would start walking in this type of faith? What if we not only believed in Jesus but became His body? What if we had the faith to see our mission statement come to fruition?
What if people saw Jesus-in-us so clearly that they come running to Refuge from all over the community?
Monday, November 21, 2011
From Faith to Fear (and Back Again)
Mark 6: 47-52 (NLT)
Late that night, the disciples were in their boat in the middle of the lake, and Jesus was alone on land. He saw that they were in serious trouble, rowing hard and struggling against the wind and waves. About three o’clock in the morning Jesus came toward them, walking on the water. He intended to go past them, but when they saw him walking on the water, they cried out in terror, thinking he was a ghost. They were all terrified when they saw him. But Jesus spoke to them at once. “Don’t be afraid,” he said. “Take courage! I am here! Then he climbed into the boat, and the wind stopped. They were totally amazed, for they still didn’t understand the significance of the miracle of the loaves. Their hearts were too hard to take it in.
The skeleton in the closet. The body buried under the boards. The monster that rears its ugly head. The ghosts in the basement cellar.
You’ve heard the phrases before, ways of expressing our deepest, darkest, long-buried secrets, sins, and fears. Things we’re terrified for others to find out about. The thought of our ghosts being discovered and brought to light scares us. Causes us to fear. Causes us to cringe and run for a shovel. Forget all these literary words - it freaks the mess out of us!
Much like it did the disciples on that long ago night when they thought they saw a ghost. Take into account all the disciples had seen and done: the miraculous meal, casting out demons, healing the sick, preaching the Gospel, and so on. Then, shortly after all of this, their chomping on their nails in terror over a ghost. A ghost that turns out to be Jesus, with yet another miracle.
It’s not that different from us. Not long ago, my ghosts (hidden sins and lusts) would wander through my mind’s eye. I would scream in terror, scared of what the ghosts were capable of, destroying my life or reputation. But now when these ghosts trample across the waves of life and come ever closer, I, like the disciples, see Jesus. I’m no longer afraid of my ghosts because when I see them now, I witness firsthand the love, mercy, and grace of Jesus Christ.
Those demons are not things to fear, but to give to Jesus. They are not things to terrorize me, but remind me of grace. They are not there to torment, but as opportunities to share with others the hope and healing he provides.
Late that night, the disciples were in their boat in the middle of the lake, and Jesus was alone on land. He saw that they were in serious trouble, rowing hard and struggling against the wind and waves. About three o’clock in the morning Jesus came toward them, walking on the water. He intended to go past them, but when they saw him walking on the water, they cried out in terror, thinking he was a ghost. They were all terrified when they saw him. But Jesus spoke to them at once. “Don’t be afraid,” he said. “Take courage! I am here! Then he climbed into the boat, and the wind stopped. They were totally amazed, for they still didn’t understand the significance of the miracle of the loaves. Their hearts were too hard to take it in.
The skeleton in the closet. The body buried under the boards. The monster that rears its ugly head. The ghosts in the basement cellar.
You’ve heard the phrases before, ways of expressing our deepest, darkest, long-buried secrets, sins, and fears. Things we’re terrified for others to find out about. The thought of our ghosts being discovered and brought to light scares us. Causes us to fear. Causes us to cringe and run for a shovel. Forget all these literary words - it freaks the mess out of us!
Much like it did the disciples on that long ago night when they thought they saw a ghost. Take into account all the disciples had seen and done: the miraculous meal, casting out demons, healing the sick, preaching the Gospel, and so on. Then, shortly after all of this, their chomping on their nails in terror over a ghost. A ghost that turns out to be Jesus, with yet another miracle.
It’s not that different from us. Not long ago, my ghosts (hidden sins and lusts) would wander through my mind’s eye. I would scream in terror, scared of what the ghosts were capable of, destroying my life or reputation. But now when these ghosts trample across the waves of life and come ever closer, I, like the disciples, see Jesus. I’m no longer afraid of my ghosts because when I see them now, I witness firsthand the love, mercy, and grace of Jesus Christ.
Those demons are not things to fear, but to give to Jesus. They are not things to terrorize me, but remind me of grace. They are not there to torment, but as opportunities to share with others the hope and healing he provides.
Sunday, November 20, 2011
Mountains and Mole Hills
Mark 6: 45-46 (NLT)
Immediately after this, Jesus insisted that his disciples get back into the boat and head across the lake to Bethsaida, while he sent the people home. After telling everyone good-bye, he went up into the hills by himself to pray.
While this appears to be a verse of little importance, filler between two miracles of Jesus, there is a wealth of wisdom and insight. Let’s consider this verse one word at a time.
First, we have “Jesus.” Jesus - Son of God, God-wrapped-in-flesh, the sacrificial lamb sent for reconciliation with fallen humanity, full of love and forgiveness, our ultimate example.
Secondly, “climbed / went up." Unlike hiking, climbing involves hard, arduous, often excruciating work. One must not only negotiate the mountain itself but falling rocks, loose footing, sharp corners, fluctuating weather conditions, and mental fatigue.
Third, the “ the mountainside / the hills.” I’ve described some of the toil already, but the mountain itself represents an insurmountable human hurdle. It’s a symbol of human weakness, a daunting display to remind us how small we truly are. Those attempting it must be brave (or silly in some cases) and willing to lose life and limb to scale it.
Lastly, “to pray.” Prayer is simply communicating with God. Speaking and listening. Bonding. One-on-one relationship.
Putting all the pieces together, the beauty of this word puzzle enlightens further. Our faith mirrors this verse in many ways. We walk toward a “mountain” of impossibility, of life. And in our desire “to pray” and seek God, we must undergo the rigors of “climbing.”
But like Jesus here, to do so is the adventure not only of a lifetime… But of eternity!
Immediately after this, Jesus insisted that his disciples get back into the boat and head across the lake to Bethsaida, while he sent the people home. After telling everyone good-bye, he went up into the hills by himself to pray.
While this appears to be a verse of little importance, filler between two miracles of Jesus, there is a wealth of wisdom and insight. Let’s consider this verse one word at a time.
First, we have “Jesus.” Jesus - Son of God, God-wrapped-in-flesh, the sacrificial lamb sent for reconciliation with fallen humanity, full of love and forgiveness, our ultimate example.
Secondly, “climbed / went up." Unlike hiking, climbing involves hard, arduous, often excruciating work. One must not only negotiate the mountain itself but falling rocks, loose footing, sharp corners, fluctuating weather conditions, and mental fatigue.
Third, the “ the mountainside / the hills.” I’ve described some of the toil already, but the mountain itself represents an insurmountable human hurdle. It’s a symbol of human weakness, a daunting display to remind us how small we truly are. Those attempting it must be brave (or silly in some cases) and willing to lose life and limb to scale it.
Lastly, “to pray.” Prayer is simply communicating with God. Speaking and listening. Bonding. One-on-one relationship.
Putting all the pieces together, the beauty of this word puzzle enlightens further. Our faith mirrors this verse in many ways. We walk toward a “mountain” of impossibility, of life. And in our desire “to pray” and seek God, we must undergo the rigors of “climbing.”
But like Jesus here, to do so is the adventure not only of a lifetime… But of eternity!
Saturday, November 19, 2011
Morning Message
Scripture References:
Title or topic of message:
Notes:
Questions I have about the message:
How can I apply this message to my life?
Friday, November 18, 2011
Reflection and Meditation
This week, we discussed the tragedy of pushing away the Holy Spirit, feelings of abandonment, slowing down and resting in Jesus, joining the Holy Spirit in its work, and how Jesus makes something from nothing. With that in mind, reflect and meditate on the following questions:
1. Remember back to the time when you first experienced the tug of the Holy Spirit? How did you respond? Do you find yourself more sensitive to its tugging these days? List some positives and some negatives about submitting / not submitting to the Holy Spirit’s direction in your life.
2. Have you ever (or do you now) feel like the ruler from the story? Like God has laid aside your needs to meet the needs of others? How do you respond when that seems to happen? What might you learn from the ruler’s reaction to Jesus?
3. Are you guilty of getting wrapped up in the traffic jam of ministering to every need you can without getting any rest? List some benefits to resting and refreshing yourself with time alone with Jesus.
4. List some areas of your life where you see the Holy Spirit at work around you. Pray about it, then choose one of those works to get involved in.
5. Describe a time when Jesus took a nothing in your life and miraculously turned it into a something.
1. Remember back to the time when you first experienced the tug of the Holy Spirit? How did you respond? Do you find yourself more sensitive to its tugging these days? List some positives and some negatives about submitting / not submitting to the Holy Spirit’s direction in your life.
2. Have you ever (or do you now) feel like the ruler from the story? Like God has laid aside your needs to meet the needs of others? How do you respond when that seems to happen? What might you learn from the ruler’s reaction to Jesus?
3. Are you guilty of getting wrapped up in the traffic jam of ministering to every need you can without getting any rest? List some benefits to resting and refreshing yourself with time alone with Jesus.
4. List some areas of your life where you see the Holy Spirit at work around you. Pray about it, then choose one of those works to get involved in.
5. Describe a time when Jesus took a nothing in your life and miraculously turned it into a something.
Thursday, November 17, 2011
Something From Nothing
Mark 6: 35-44 (NLT)
Late in the afternoon his disciples came to him and said, “This is a remote place, and it’s already getting late. Send the crowds away so they can go to the nearby farms and villages and buy something to eat.” But Jesus said, “You feed them.” “With what?” they asked. “We’d have to work for months to earn enough money to buy food for all these people!” “How much bread do you have?” he asked. “Go and find out.” They came back and reported, “We have five loaves of bread and two fish.” Then Jesus told the disciples to gave the people sit down in groups on the green grass. So they sat down in groups of fifty or a hundred. Jesus took the five loaves and two fish, looked up toward heaven, and blessed them. Then, breaking the loaves into pieces, he kept giving the bread to the disciples so they could distribute it to the people. He also divided the fish for everyone to share. They all ate as much as they wanted, and afterward, the disciples picked up twelve baskets of leftover bread and fish. A total of 5,000 men and their families were fed from those loaves!
It’s the mountain every seeker must scale. The lingering question every soul must inquire. How? How can something come from nothing? Or next-to-nothing? How can we die and still find life? How can we be strongest when we are at our weakest? How does surrendering lead to victory? How can all these divine paradoxes be true?
Here is yet another Jesus story which has been watered down into a fairy tale children’s story. While this culinary episode is far from a mere wives tale, it’s a hump many truth seekers can’t get over. Up to that point, people witnessed many apparently unexplainable things - from the stormy weather subsiding, to healings, to exorcisms. But all that could have possibly been staged. (It wasn’t, of course. I’m only trying to make a point). Imagine, however, the scene at this supper as Jesus takes next-to-nothing and pinches off piece after piece. Except the fish and bread aren’t losing any mass! Its as if it regrows the instant his fingers snag another piece. From this meager meal for one, over five thousand are fed. With twelve doggie bags to spare! How can this be?
Quite simply because we as humans respond the same way the disciples did when Jesus challenged them to solve the problem. We try to fix it materialistically, by purchasing something instead of trusting him with the impossible. We want to win the lost with a great new ministry or fancy gadgets or corporate Christianity, when the whole time Jesus waits to take our “next-to-nothing“ - a message, a verse, a testimony - and feed thousands.
With leftovers to spare!
Late in the afternoon his disciples came to him and said, “This is a remote place, and it’s already getting late. Send the crowds away so they can go to the nearby farms and villages and buy something to eat.” But Jesus said, “You feed them.” “With what?” they asked. “We’d have to work for months to earn enough money to buy food for all these people!” “How much bread do you have?” he asked. “Go and find out.” They came back and reported, “We have five loaves of bread and two fish.” Then Jesus told the disciples to gave the people sit down in groups on the green grass. So they sat down in groups of fifty or a hundred. Jesus took the five loaves and two fish, looked up toward heaven, and blessed them. Then, breaking the loaves into pieces, he kept giving the bread to the disciples so they could distribute it to the people. He also divided the fish for everyone to share. They all ate as much as they wanted, and afterward, the disciples picked up twelve baskets of leftover bread and fish. A total of 5,000 men and their families were fed from those loaves!
It’s the mountain every seeker must scale. The lingering question every soul must inquire. How? How can something come from nothing? Or next-to-nothing? How can we die and still find life? How can we be strongest when we are at our weakest? How does surrendering lead to victory? How can all these divine paradoxes be true?
Here is yet another Jesus story which has been watered down into a fairy tale children’s story. While this culinary episode is far from a mere wives tale, it’s a hump many truth seekers can’t get over. Up to that point, people witnessed many apparently unexplainable things - from the stormy weather subsiding, to healings, to exorcisms. But all that could have possibly been staged. (It wasn’t, of course. I’m only trying to make a point). Imagine, however, the scene at this supper as Jesus takes next-to-nothing and pinches off piece after piece. Except the fish and bread aren’t losing any mass! Its as if it regrows the instant his fingers snag another piece. From this meager meal for one, over five thousand are fed. With twelve doggie bags to spare! How can this be?
Quite simply because we as humans respond the same way the disciples did when Jesus challenged them to solve the problem. We try to fix it materialistically, by purchasing something instead of trusting him with the impossible. We want to win the lost with a great new ministry or fancy gadgets or corporate Christianity, when the whole time Jesus waits to take our “next-to-nothing“ - a message, a verse, a testimony - and feed thousands.
With leftovers to spare!
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
Winds of Change
Mark 6: 33-34 (NLT)
But many people recognized them and saw them leaving, and people from many towns ran ahead along the shore and got there ahead of them. Jesus saw the huge crowd as he stepped from the boat, and he had compassion on them because they were like sheep without a shepherd. So he began teaching them many things.
After selling out to Jesus seven years ago, one of the first devotionals I consistently completed was Experiencing God. Over the course of those weeks, I encountered dozens of truths that stick with me to this day. Among them is a statement by the authors (and backed up Biblically) which went something along the lines of, “Don’t try to reinvent the Spirit. Watch where God is already at work…and join him there!”
This must have been the same slogan for the crowd in our reading today. They had no real clue as to the full extent of who Jesus was, that He had come to be the sacrifice for sins and the restorer of humanity, that He loved them more than they could possibly imagine, that encountering Him would radically change their lives. All they knew was wherever He traveled, hope, healing, and wholeness followed. Desiring to be filled with such things, they watched where He was going (where God was already working) and joined him. Even beat Him to the spot in this case.
Which leads to our next observation: sometimes we see where God is leading, get there, and, like the crowd here, wait with joyful patience of his arrival. We step out in faith, volunteer for a ministry, enter our calling, do the right thing. And God seems not to be in it immediately. We continue to pray. Continue to wait upon him. Then at His appearance, everything changes. The miraculous occurs. He brings with him the glory and power of the Father. The fruits of the Spirit.
These people experienced it firsthand. And so may we.
But many people recognized them and saw them leaving, and people from many towns ran ahead along the shore and got there ahead of them. Jesus saw the huge crowd as he stepped from the boat, and he had compassion on them because they were like sheep without a shepherd. So he began teaching them many things.
After selling out to Jesus seven years ago, one of the first devotionals I consistently completed was Experiencing God. Over the course of those weeks, I encountered dozens of truths that stick with me to this day. Among them is a statement by the authors (and backed up Biblically) which went something along the lines of, “Don’t try to reinvent the Spirit. Watch where God is already at work…and join him there!”
This must have been the same slogan for the crowd in our reading today. They had no real clue as to the full extent of who Jesus was, that He had come to be the sacrifice for sins and the restorer of humanity, that He loved them more than they could possibly imagine, that encountering Him would radically change their lives. All they knew was wherever He traveled, hope, healing, and wholeness followed. Desiring to be filled with such things, they watched where He was going (where God was already working) and joined him. Even beat Him to the spot in this case.
Which leads to our next observation: sometimes we see where God is leading, get there, and, like the crowd here, wait with joyful patience of his arrival. We step out in faith, volunteer for a ministry, enter our calling, do the right thing. And God seems not to be in it immediately. We continue to pray. Continue to wait upon him. Then at His appearance, everything changes. The miraculous occurs. He brings with him the glory and power of the Father. The fruits of the Spirit.
These people experienced it firsthand. And so may we.
Tuesday, November 15, 2011
A Refuge
Mark 6: 30-32 (NLT)
The apostles returned to Jesus from their ministry tour and told him all they had done and taught. Then Jesus said, “Let’s go off by ourselves to a quiet place and rest awhile.” He said this because there were so many people coming and going that Jesus and his apostles didn’t even have time to eat. So they left by boat for a quiet place, where they could be alone.
Admit it. Many of us get so caught up in the hustle and bustle of life we often forget to rest. Not sleep, but rest. Our society is consumed by busy-bodies. We have to go to work, church, school, the grocery store, the mall, out of town, this and that practice, watch the game or the latest reality show, help so and so, pray, read the Bible, complete the daily LifeTogether devotional, get gas, hit the bank, hang with the guys or girls, find a babysitter, take the kids to the park, and so on. Again, all good things as long as you stay balanced with rest. Jesus’ example in the Gospels is clear - there is great wisdom and value in pulling away from time to time to find rest. Not only for your bod… But your soul as well.
As we witness with the disciples (and many of us can attest to from experience), serving God can be hard, often hectic, work. Our lives mirror verse 31, “There was constant coming and going.” (The Message) Our lives, both in and out of Refuge, are as much. And not just for the leaders of the various ministries. Stop to think about the last time you sat quietly with God, distanced from the appeals of others and the pressures of the world. Without feeling guilty, we should carve out such beneficial time to withdraw (even if it's in a deer stand) and pray. And if you’re allowed to do so, return the favor for someone else. Watch the kids for your spouse or knock out errands for a friend so that they may enjoy such personal time with the Savior as well. Withdrawing into brief times of isolation is the mark of a mature believer. Because we don’t do anyone good when we burn ourselves out.
Listen as Jesus says, “Come to me and I will give you rest.”
The apostles returned to Jesus from their ministry tour and told him all they had done and taught. Then Jesus said, “Let’s go off by ourselves to a quiet place and rest awhile.” He said this because there were so many people coming and going that Jesus and his apostles didn’t even have time to eat. So they left by boat for a quiet place, where they could be alone.
Admit it. Many of us get so caught up in the hustle and bustle of life we often forget to rest. Not sleep, but rest. Our society is consumed by busy-bodies. We have to go to work, church, school, the grocery store, the mall, out of town, this and that practice, watch the game or the latest reality show, help so and so, pray, read the Bible, complete the daily LifeTogether devotional, get gas, hit the bank, hang with the guys or girls, find a babysitter, take the kids to the park, and so on. Again, all good things as long as you stay balanced with rest. Jesus’ example in the Gospels is clear - there is great wisdom and value in pulling away from time to time to find rest. Not only for your bod… But your soul as well.
As we witness with the disciples (and many of us can attest to from experience), serving God can be hard, often hectic, work. Our lives mirror verse 31, “There was constant coming and going.” (The Message) Our lives, both in and out of Refuge, are as much. And not just for the leaders of the various ministries. Stop to think about the last time you sat quietly with God, distanced from the appeals of others and the pressures of the world. Without feeling guilty, we should carve out such beneficial time to withdraw (even if it's in a deer stand) and pray. And if you’re allowed to do so, return the favor for someone else. Watch the kids for your spouse or knock out errands for a friend so that they may enjoy such personal time with the Savior as well. Withdrawing into brief times of isolation is the mark of a mature believer. Because we don’t do anyone good when we burn ourselves out.
Listen as Jesus says, “Come to me and I will give you rest.”
Monday, November 14, 2011
The Apparent Abandonment
Mark 6: 21-29 (NLT)
Herodias’s chance finally came on Herod’s birthday. He gave a party for his high government officials, army officers, and the leading citizens of Galilee. Then his daughter, also named Herodias, came in and performed a dance that greatly pleased Herod and his guests. “Ask me for anything you like,” the king said to the girl, “and I will give it to you.” He even vowed, “I will give you whatever you ask, up to half my kingdom!” She went out and asked her mother, “What should I ask for?” Her mother told her, “Ask for the head of John the Baptist!” So the girl hurried back to the king and told him, “I want the head of John the Baptist, right now, on a tray!” Then the king deeply regretted what he had said; but because of the vows he had made in front of his guests, he couldn’t refuse her. So he immediately sent an executioner to the prison to cut off John’s head and bring it to him. The soldier beheaded John in the prison, brought his head on a tray, and gave it to the girl, who took it to her mother. When John’s disciples heard what had happened, they came to get his body and buried it in a tomb.
Few in the Bible have entered the scene with more bang than John. We see him first flipping in his mother’s belly when he came near the embryonic Jesus in Mary’s belly. Then we witness him explode back into the Gospel story by departing into the wilderness and shouting about repentance and the coming of the One who will rescue the world from their transgressions. He baptizes this Savior and then disappears before springing back up in prison. Although in jail for serving the Savior, we have no record of Jesus going to visit John. We only have Jesus’ response to John’s soul searching questions, in which he affirmed that He was Messiah and the blind were seeing and the lame walking. But still no personal visit from the Savior.
Have you ever felt like John? Like you were chosen by God to do a great work? Like you had been faithful to do and complete the work? And then, for some reason you can’t explain, God abandoned you? Like he failed to come visit, failed to offer encouragement, failed to say thank you, failed to release you from whatever prison you’re incarcerated in? We have all been rocked by these emotions at some point. We have all, like John, asked God if He is indeed the Savior and thereby, given the lonely sentiment that we’re feeling neglected.
Similar to our learning from Herod yesterday, we can learn from John today.
Despite not understanding fully the plan of God, John remained faithful. He trusted God and endured to the end. He questioned but never quit. And he was never truly abandoned or alone. And he is enjoying the prize now!
Herodias’s chance finally came on Herod’s birthday. He gave a party for his high government officials, army officers, and the leading citizens of Galilee. Then his daughter, also named Herodias, came in and performed a dance that greatly pleased Herod and his guests. “Ask me for anything you like,” the king said to the girl, “and I will give it to you.” He even vowed, “I will give you whatever you ask, up to half my kingdom!” She went out and asked her mother, “What should I ask for?” Her mother told her, “Ask for the head of John the Baptist!” So the girl hurried back to the king and told him, “I want the head of John the Baptist, right now, on a tray!” Then the king deeply regretted what he had said; but because of the vows he had made in front of his guests, he couldn’t refuse her. So he immediately sent an executioner to the prison to cut off John’s head and bring it to him. The soldier beheaded John in the prison, brought his head on a tray, and gave it to the girl, who took it to her mother. When John’s disciples heard what had happened, they came to get his body and buried it in a tomb.
Few in the Bible have entered the scene with more bang than John. We see him first flipping in his mother’s belly when he came near the embryonic Jesus in Mary’s belly. Then we witness him explode back into the Gospel story by departing into the wilderness and shouting about repentance and the coming of the One who will rescue the world from their transgressions. He baptizes this Savior and then disappears before springing back up in prison. Although in jail for serving the Savior, we have no record of Jesus going to visit John. We only have Jesus’ response to John’s soul searching questions, in which he affirmed that He was Messiah and the blind were seeing and the lame walking. But still no personal visit from the Savior.
Have you ever felt like John? Like you were chosen by God to do a great work? Like you had been faithful to do and complete the work? And then, for some reason you can’t explain, God abandoned you? Like he failed to come visit, failed to offer encouragement, failed to say thank you, failed to release you from whatever prison you’re incarcerated in? We have all been rocked by these emotions at some point. We have all, like John, asked God if He is indeed the Savior and thereby, given the lonely sentiment that we’re feeling neglected.
Similar to our learning from Herod yesterday, we can learn from John today.
Despite not understanding fully the plan of God, John remained faithful. He trusted God and endured to the end. He questioned but never quit. And he was never truly abandoned or alone. And he is enjoying the prize now!
Sunday, November 13, 2011
What Could Have Been
Mark 6: 14-20 (NLT)
Herod Antipas, the king, soon heard about Jesus, because everyone was talking about him. Some were saying, “This must be John the Baptist raised from the dead. That is why he can do such miracles.” Others said, “He’s the prophet Elijah.” Still others said, “He’s a prophet like the other great prophets of the past.” When Herod heard about Jesus, he said, “John, the man I beheaded, has come back from the dead.” For Herod had sent soldiers to arrest and imprison John as a favor to Herodias. She had been his brother Philip’s wife, but Herod had married her. John had been telling Herod, “It is against God’s law for you to marry your brother’s wife.” So Herodias bore a grudge against John and wanted to kill him. But without Herod’s approval she was powerless, for Herod respected John; and knowing that he was a good and holy man, he protected him. Herod was greatly disturbed whenever he talked with John, but even so, he liked to listen to him.
Last month, one of our devotionals dealt with the great tragedy of the believer who snuffs out the light Jesus ignites in the heart. Perhaps equally tragic is the story of Herod. Herod was a living human, but he has also become a tragic symbol of what almost was. Or could have been. Despite living in sin, this leader was mesmerized by John (the Baptist, not the Pastor) and his teaching on repentance and death-to-self. He perceived something special, something holy in the Jesus freak. The Message says, “[Herod was] Convinced that he [John] was a holy man, he gave him special treatment. Whenever he listened to him he was miserable with guilt - and yet he couldn’t stay away. Something in John kept pulling him back.” (verse 20)
The world usually refers to it as guilt. We who believe refer to it as the conviction of the Holy Spirit. It’s the Holy Spirit. It pulls and tugs us toward God. It helps us realize when we’re wrong. It guides us into a greater understanding of the mystery of the Gospel. It compels us to share the Good News with others. It empowers us to our callings. And it does all of this without stomping all over our free will. Like Herod, we have the choice. We can continue to push away the Holy Spirit and go at life alone, “miserable with guilt” and living a serrated existence. Or we can submit to its pull and find true freedom. Find an unexplainable serenity, a “peace that surpasses all understanding.”
You may find yourself at this crossroads now. If not yourself, you know someone experiencing it now. After the sermon, as John and Jason open the altar for the invitation. As you surf the lustful pleasures of the internet. As you rip someone apart with gossip. As you wallow in envy, desiring all you don’t possess. As you cling to your drug of choice, prescription or otherwise. As you drown in the worries of the world.
The Holy Spirit - God’s Spirit - is whispering, “There is a better way. Walk with me. Find faith, hope, and love. Find me. I will woo you with my love.”
Herod Antipas, the king, soon heard about Jesus, because everyone was talking about him. Some were saying, “This must be John the Baptist raised from the dead. That is why he can do such miracles.” Others said, “He’s the prophet Elijah.” Still others said, “He’s a prophet like the other great prophets of the past.” When Herod heard about Jesus, he said, “John, the man I beheaded, has come back from the dead.” For Herod had sent soldiers to arrest and imprison John as a favor to Herodias. She had been his brother Philip’s wife, but Herod had married her. John had been telling Herod, “It is against God’s law for you to marry your brother’s wife.” So Herodias bore a grudge against John and wanted to kill him. But without Herod’s approval she was powerless, for Herod respected John; and knowing that he was a good and holy man, he protected him. Herod was greatly disturbed whenever he talked with John, but even so, he liked to listen to him.
Last month, one of our devotionals dealt with the great tragedy of the believer who snuffs out the light Jesus ignites in the heart. Perhaps equally tragic is the story of Herod. Herod was a living human, but he has also become a tragic symbol of what almost was. Or could have been. Despite living in sin, this leader was mesmerized by John (the Baptist, not the Pastor) and his teaching on repentance and death-to-self. He perceived something special, something holy in the Jesus freak. The Message says, “[Herod was] Convinced that he [John] was a holy man, he gave him special treatment. Whenever he listened to him he was miserable with guilt - and yet he couldn’t stay away. Something in John kept pulling him back.” (verse 20)
The world usually refers to it as guilt. We who believe refer to it as the conviction of the Holy Spirit. It’s the Holy Spirit. It pulls and tugs us toward God. It helps us realize when we’re wrong. It guides us into a greater understanding of the mystery of the Gospel. It compels us to share the Good News with others. It empowers us to our callings. And it does all of this without stomping all over our free will. Like Herod, we have the choice. We can continue to push away the Holy Spirit and go at life alone, “miserable with guilt” and living a serrated existence. Or we can submit to its pull and find true freedom. Find an unexplainable serenity, a “peace that surpasses all understanding.”
You may find yourself at this crossroads now. If not yourself, you know someone experiencing it now. After the sermon, as John and Jason open the altar for the invitation. As you surf the lustful pleasures of the internet. As you rip someone apart with gossip. As you wallow in envy, desiring all you don’t possess. As you cling to your drug of choice, prescription or otherwise. As you drown in the worries of the world.
The Holy Spirit - God’s Spirit - is whispering, “There is a better way. Walk with me. Find faith, hope, and love. Find me. I will woo you with my love.”
Saturday, November 12, 2011
Morning Message
Scripture References:
Title or topic of message:
Notes:
Questions I have about the message:
How can I apply this message to my life?
Friday, November 11, 2011
Reflection and Meditation
This week, we have discussed issues like the price and prize of patience, growing desperate for Jesus, the possibility of the impossible, the joy of being a nobody, and the value of simple spiritual truths.
With that in mind, reflect and meditate on the following questions:
1. Have you ever felt like God was laying aside your problems and taking care of others all the time? How does it make you feel? In what ways can you begin seeing these interruptions as opportunities for patience? To you believe God is faithful to those you endure to the end?
2. Remember back to the time you first called out in desperation to Jesus. Reflect on all your thoughts and feelings. Now pray and thank God for restoring you. Ask him to help you remember that time and stay that hungry for Him and His word.
3. Do you truly believe that “with God, all things are possible?” If so, write down 3 things you consider impossible and begin praying for the impossible to become possible. (No lottery prayers, please.)
4. Describe how the people closest to you have responded to your life-change. If their attitude is negative, what are some steps you may take to share Jesus with them?
5. Read Mark 6:8 again. “Don’t think you need a lot of extra equipment for this. You are the equipment.” (The Message). Your thoughts?
With that in mind, reflect and meditate on the following questions:
1. Have you ever felt like God was laying aside your problems and taking care of others all the time? How does it make you feel? In what ways can you begin seeing these interruptions as opportunities for patience? To you believe God is faithful to those you endure to the end?
2. Remember back to the time you first called out in desperation to Jesus. Reflect on all your thoughts and feelings. Now pray and thank God for restoring you. Ask him to help you remember that time and stay that hungry for Him and His word.
3. Do you truly believe that “with God, all things are possible?” If so, write down 3 things you consider impossible and begin praying for the impossible to become possible. (No lottery prayers, please.)
4. Describe how the people closest to you have responded to your life-change. If their attitude is negative, what are some steps you may take to share Jesus with them?
5. Read Mark 6:8 again. “Don’t think you need a lot of extra equipment for this. You are the equipment.” (The Message). Your thoughts?
Thursday, November 10, 2011
Simple Lessons
November 10, 2011
Mark 6: 7-13 (NLT)
And he called his twelve disciples together and began sending them out two by two, giving them authority to cast out evil spirits. He told them to take nothing for their journey except a walking stick—no food, no traveler’s bag, no money. He allowed them to wear sandals but not to take a change of clothes. “Wherever you go,” he said, “stay in the same house until you leave town. But if any place refuses to welcome you or listen to you, shake its dust from your feet as you leave to show that you have abandoned those people to their fate.” So the disciples went out, telling everyone they met to repent of their sins and turn to God. And they cast out many demons and healed many sick people, anointing them with olive oil.
I am guilty. Guilty of sometimes looking so deeply into things that I miss the simple truths in it. This reading has many simple truths, but among the most profound are the following:
1. We are the hands and feet Christ.
One of my mentors, Major Hogue, is fond of saying - “we are Jesus with skin on.” Jesus prepares us, like He did for His disciples, to go out and share the Good News with others. And we should do it with “joyful urgency” (verse 12, The Message). People will respond to Jesus more when we take the time to build relationship with them and share the joys of Jesus with them. And what a privilege Jesus gives us to share Him with others.
2. “You are the equipment.” (verse 8, The Message)
Much of what we enjoy at Refuge - the food, the band, the sound system, the gym, the ministries, the Powerpoint screen, the televisions - is not a necessity when it comes to sharing Jesus with others. Please don’t take this offensively. All of these things are wonderful blessings which add to our lives of worship. But Jesus was clear on the necessities of our mission - its us! We are the greatest testimony to others. The life-change in us. The proof that “life can be radically different.” (verse 12, The Message)
3. Accountability.
Jesus sent the disciples out two by two. I won’t pretend to know all the reasons He did so, but this much I do know: Two are stronger than one. They can strengthen and encourage one another, hold each other accountable, and bind together in prayer and service to do the miraculous. When one falls, the other picks them up. They lean on each other until the finish line.
Mark 6: 7-13 (NLT)
And he called his twelve disciples together and began sending them out two by two, giving them authority to cast out evil spirits. He told them to take nothing for their journey except a walking stick—no food, no traveler’s bag, no money. He allowed them to wear sandals but not to take a change of clothes. “Wherever you go,” he said, “stay in the same house until you leave town. But if any place refuses to welcome you or listen to you, shake its dust from your feet as you leave to show that you have abandoned those people to their fate.” So the disciples went out, telling everyone they met to repent of their sins and turn to God. And they cast out many demons and healed many sick people, anointing them with olive oil.
I am guilty. Guilty of sometimes looking so deeply into things that I miss the simple truths in it. This reading has many simple truths, but among the most profound are the following:
1. We are the hands and feet Christ.
One of my mentors, Major Hogue, is fond of saying - “we are Jesus with skin on.” Jesus prepares us, like He did for His disciples, to go out and share the Good News with others. And we should do it with “joyful urgency” (verse 12, The Message). People will respond to Jesus more when we take the time to build relationship with them and share the joys of Jesus with them. And what a privilege Jesus gives us to share Him with others.
2. “You are the equipment.” (verse 8, The Message)
Much of what we enjoy at Refuge - the food, the band, the sound system, the gym, the ministries, the Powerpoint screen, the televisions - is not a necessity when it comes to sharing Jesus with others. Please don’t take this offensively. All of these things are wonderful blessings which add to our lives of worship. But Jesus was clear on the necessities of our mission - its us! We are the greatest testimony to others. The life-change in us. The proof that “life can be radically different.” (verse 12, The Message)
3. Accountability.
Jesus sent the disciples out two by two. I won’t pretend to know all the reasons He did so, but this much I do know: Two are stronger than one. They can strengthen and encourage one another, hold each other accountable, and bind together in prayer and service to do the miraculous. When one falls, the other picks them up. They lean on each other until the finish line.
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
Nobodies
Mark 6: 1-6 (NLT)
Jesus left that part of the country and returned with his disciples to Nazareth, his hometown. The next Sabbath he began teaching in the synagogue, and many who heard him were amazed. They asked, “Where did he get all this wisdom and the power to perform such miracles?” Then they scoffed, “He’s just a carpenter, the son of Mary and the brother of James, Joseph, Judas, and Simon. And his sisters live right here among us.” They were deeply offended and refused to believe in him. Then Jesus told them, “A prophet is honored everywhere except in his own hometown and among his relatives and his own family.” And because of their unbelief, he couldn’t do any miracles among them except to place his hands on a few sick people and heal them. And he was amazed at their unbelief. Then Jesus went from village to village, teaching the people.
Of the many voices of my generation, Billy Corgan’s screeching vocals are arguably the most unique. In the song nobodies, the Smashing Pumpkins singer wails, “nobodies ever knew, nobodies… nobodies felt like you, nobodies.” As I read this portion of the Scripture, it summons thoughts of these lyrics.
In the eyes of the world, Jesus was a nobody. Obviously, I don’t mean this disrespectfully, but it is truth. We have mentioned before in our studies that Jesus adopted the human condition as His own. He forsook heaven for the hell of earth. He essentially became a nobody. Take a gander at his rap sheet and you’ll see the proof: conceived to an unmarried, teenage mom, born among livestock, son of a working stiff, a carpenter by trade, from a forsaken village, no religious or family titles, no claim to fame, no money, nobody. His own friends and family saw no inherent value in Him.
We may empathize with Christ here. We may walk in relationship with Jesus, casting off our old, sinful ways and living righteously before God. We may even serve in ministries and give back a portion of what the Lord has given us, accomplishing great things in the process. And yet, despite all of this, we still encounter people who knew us before and who can’t get over how regular we seem. To put it bluntly, can’t get over the fact that we were once a nobody, but are now a somebody through Jesus. They want to drag us down because they still feel like nobodies, people without purpose, direction, or Jesus.
We shouldn’t be ashamed of our former nobody status because it’s a glowing reminder of what Jesus does for people who cry out to Him. He grants us love, purpose, and power. We may shine in our hometown or, like Jesus, be sent to the surrounding areas.
We may even be sent 500 miles away to a place we never knew existed! (Inside joke)
Jesus left that part of the country and returned with his disciples to Nazareth, his hometown. The next Sabbath he began teaching in the synagogue, and many who heard him were amazed. They asked, “Where did he get all this wisdom and the power to perform such miracles?” Then they scoffed, “He’s just a carpenter, the son of Mary and the brother of James, Joseph, Judas, and Simon. And his sisters live right here among us.” They were deeply offended and refused to believe in him. Then Jesus told them, “A prophet is honored everywhere except in his own hometown and among his relatives and his own family.” And because of their unbelief, he couldn’t do any miracles among them except to place his hands on a few sick people and heal them. And he was amazed at their unbelief. Then Jesus went from village to village, teaching the people.
Of the many voices of my generation, Billy Corgan’s screeching vocals are arguably the most unique. In the song nobodies, the Smashing Pumpkins singer wails, “nobodies ever knew, nobodies… nobodies felt like you, nobodies.” As I read this portion of the Scripture, it summons thoughts of these lyrics.
In the eyes of the world, Jesus was a nobody. Obviously, I don’t mean this disrespectfully, but it is truth. We have mentioned before in our studies that Jesus adopted the human condition as His own. He forsook heaven for the hell of earth. He essentially became a nobody. Take a gander at his rap sheet and you’ll see the proof: conceived to an unmarried, teenage mom, born among livestock, son of a working stiff, a carpenter by trade, from a forsaken village, no religious or family titles, no claim to fame, no money, nobody. His own friends and family saw no inherent value in Him.
We may empathize with Christ here. We may walk in relationship with Jesus, casting off our old, sinful ways and living righteously before God. We may even serve in ministries and give back a portion of what the Lord has given us, accomplishing great things in the process. And yet, despite all of this, we still encounter people who knew us before and who can’t get over how regular we seem. To put it bluntly, can’t get over the fact that we were once a nobody, but are now a somebody through Jesus. They want to drag us down because they still feel like nobodies, people without purpose, direction, or Jesus.
We shouldn’t be ashamed of our former nobody status because it’s a glowing reminder of what Jesus does for people who cry out to Him. He grants us love, purpose, and power. We may shine in our hometown or, like Jesus, be sent to the surrounding areas.
We may even be sent 500 miles away to a place we never knew existed! (Inside joke)
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
The Impossible, Possible
Mark 5: 35-43 (NLT)
While he was still speaking to her, messengers arrived from the home of Jairus, the leader of the synagogue. They told him, “Your daughter is dead. There’s no use troubling the Teacher now.” But Jesus overheard them and said to Jairus, “Don’t be afraid. Just have faith.” Then Jesus stopped the crowd and wouldn’t let anyone go with him except Peter, James, and John (the brother of James). When they came to the home of the synagogue leader, Jesus saw much commotion and weeping and wailing. He went inside and asked, “Why all this commotion and weeping? The child isn’t dead; she’s only asleep.” The crowd laughed at him. But he made them all leave, and he took the girl’s father and mother and his three disciples into the room where the girl was lying. Holding her hand, he said to her, “Talitha koum,” which means “Little girl, get up!” And the girl, who was twelve years old, immediately stood up and walked around! They were overwhelmed and totally amazed. Jesus gave them strict orders not to tell anyone what had happened, and then he told them to give her something to eat.
Day after day now, we read, study, and ponder this Gospel and these devotionals. But I wonder, do we believe what we’re reading? I mean really believe. Believe that Jesus is the Son of God? Believe that His mission to the world was to reconcile us to a loving God by dying a disgraceful death? Believe that he healed people of physical, emotional, and spiritual issues? Believe that he shrugged off evil and calmed storms? Believe that He makes mad men become “clothed and in their right mind”? Believe, as in today’s reading, that He gives life where there is none to be found?
Those of you who have been in and around church may have heard these stories so much we grow desensitized to the awe-inspiring miracle here. Those of you newer to the Christian life may find this story unbelievable or even scary. But if you take some stories from the Gospel and discount others, you’re robbing the Gospel and nullifying your life-change. When we come to believe that Jesus is capable of anything - and I mean ANYTHING - we can begin to truly understand the power of the Gospel. When we open our eyes not to the physical world of the impossible, but to the spiritual world of the possible, we witness Jesus in a new light. A light which displays his eternal radiance. A light which brings life where there is none.
A light which makes the impossible, possible.
While he was still speaking to her, messengers arrived from the home of Jairus, the leader of the synagogue. They told him, “Your daughter is dead. There’s no use troubling the Teacher now.” But Jesus overheard them and said to Jairus, “Don’t be afraid. Just have faith.” Then Jesus stopped the crowd and wouldn’t let anyone go with him except Peter, James, and John (the brother of James). When they came to the home of the synagogue leader, Jesus saw much commotion and weeping and wailing. He went inside and asked, “Why all this commotion and weeping? The child isn’t dead; she’s only asleep.” The crowd laughed at him. But he made them all leave, and he took the girl’s father and mother and his three disciples into the room where the girl was lying. Holding her hand, he said to her, “Talitha koum,” which means “Little girl, get up!” And the girl, who was twelve years old, immediately stood up and walked around! They were overwhelmed and totally amazed. Jesus gave them strict orders not to tell anyone what had happened, and then he told them to give her something to eat.
Day after day now, we read, study, and ponder this Gospel and these devotionals. But I wonder, do we believe what we’re reading? I mean really believe. Believe that Jesus is the Son of God? Believe that His mission to the world was to reconcile us to a loving God by dying a disgraceful death? Believe that he healed people of physical, emotional, and spiritual issues? Believe that he shrugged off evil and calmed storms? Believe that He makes mad men become “clothed and in their right mind”? Believe, as in today’s reading, that He gives life where there is none to be found?
Those of you who have been in and around church may have heard these stories so much we grow desensitized to the awe-inspiring miracle here. Those of you newer to the Christian life may find this story unbelievable or even scary. But if you take some stories from the Gospel and discount others, you’re robbing the Gospel and nullifying your life-change. When we come to believe that Jesus is capable of anything - and I mean ANYTHING - we can begin to truly understand the power of the Gospel. When we open our eyes not to the physical world of the impossible, but to the spiritual world of the possible, we witness Jesus in a new light. A light which displays his eternal radiance. A light which brings life where there is none.
A light which makes the impossible, possible.
Monday, November 7, 2011
Bleed Out My Wounds
Mark 5: 25-34 (NLT)
A woman in the crowd had suffered for twelve years with constant bleeding. She had suffered a great deal from many doctors, and over the years she had spent everything she had to pay them, but she had gotten no better. In fact, she had gotten worse. She had heard about Jesus, so she came up behind him through the crowd and touched his robe. For she thought to herself, “If I can just touch his robe, I will be healed.” Immediately the bleeding stopped, and she could feel in her body that she had been healed of her terrible condition. Jesus realized at once that healing power had gone out from him, so he turned around in the crowd and asked, “Who touched my robe?” His disciples said to him, “Look at this crowd pressing around you. How can you ask, ‘Who touched me?’” But he kept on looking around to see who had done it. Then the frightened woman, trembling at the realization of what had happened to her, came and fell to her knees in front of him and told him what she had done. And he said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace. Your suffering is over.”
Today, we will open with a question. Have you ever been left beaten down, bloodied, robbed of both money and dignity? I don’t assume to know much in this life, but I can say assuredly that we have all felt this way at some point. Some in a literal, physical way. More only spiritually, which can be infinitely worse. Years and years of hurting can go by with no healing. No nothing. We reach out for help, but there are so many crying for help, we get lost in the crowd. “Just one in a million faces,” as the band Kutless puts it.
Then we see hope in the distance. It (or in the story’s case, He) draws closer and closer. But again, there are so many desperate people that even if we stretch out and scream for relief and “face time“, we’re just a drop of water in an a wavy ocean. We hit the ground on all fours, we scratch and claw not to grab him necessarily, but simply the thing covering him. We don’t care how we get there. We don’t care who’s watching. We’re just that desperate for a healing. Or if we’ve already been healed and restored, we’re just as desperate for another touch by the Savior.
When we reach out in desperation to Jesus, whether it’s the first time or the millionth time, He does for us what He did for the bleeding woman. He stops. He parts the masses of people. He asks who is reaching out, crying out for Him. He calls us to Him. Then He touches us. He grants healing, wholeness, encouragement, strength, love, forgiveness, jobs, reconciliation with family and friends, and countless other things.
Let us not forget our first desperate cry to God. Now make it a daily occurrence.
A woman in the crowd had suffered for twelve years with constant bleeding. She had suffered a great deal from many doctors, and over the years she had spent everything she had to pay them, but she had gotten no better. In fact, she had gotten worse. She had heard about Jesus, so she came up behind him through the crowd and touched his robe. For she thought to herself, “If I can just touch his robe, I will be healed.” Immediately the bleeding stopped, and she could feel in her body that she had been healed of her terrible condition. Jesus realized at once that healing power had gone out from him, so he turned around in the crowd and asked, “Who touched my robe?” His disciples said to him, “Look at this crowd pressing around you. How can you ask, ‘Who touched me?’” But he kept on looking around to see who had done it. Then the frightened woman, trembling at the realization of what had happened to her, came and fell to her knees in front of him and told him what she had done. And he said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace. Your suffering is over.”
Today, we will open with a question. Have you ever been left beaten down, bloodied, robbed of both money and dignity? I don’t assume to know much in this life, but I can say assuredly that we have all felt this way at some point. Some in a literal, physical way. More only spiritually, which can be infinitely worse. Years and years of hurting can go by with no healing. No nothing. We reach out for help, but there are so many crying for help, we get lost in the crowd. “Just one in a million faces,” as the band Kutless puts it.
Then we see hope in the distance. It (or in the story’s case, He) draws closer and closer. But again, there are so many desperate people that even if we stretch out and scream for relief and “face time“, we’re just a drop of water in an a wavy ocean. We hit the ground on all fours, we scratch and claw not to grab him necessarily, but simply the thing covering him. We don’t care how we get there. We don’t care who’s watching. We’re just that desperate for a healing. Or if we’ve already been healed and restored, we’re just as desperate for another touch by the Savior.
When we reach out in desperation to Jesus, whether it’s the first time or the millionth time, He does for us what He did for the bleeding woman. He stops. He parts the masses of people. He asks who is reaching out, crying out for Him. He calls us to Him. Then He touches us. He grants healing, wholeness, encouragement, strength, love, forgiveness, jobs, reconciliation with family and friends, and countless other things.
Let us not forget our first desperate cry to God. Now make it a daily occurrence.
Sunday, November 6, 2011
A Lesson in Patience
Mark 5: 21-24 (NLT)
Jesus got into the boat again and went back to the other side of the lake, where a large crowd gathered around him on the shore. Then a leader of the local synagogue, whose name was Jairus, arrived. When he saw Jesus, he fell at his feet, pleading fervently with him. “My little daughter is dying,” he said. “Please come and lay your hands on her; heal her so she can live.” Jesus went with him, and all the people followed, crowding around him.
If you thought I cut off the Bible reading abruptly this morning, you’re a very perceptive person. Being the former alcoholic/addict I am, I will do as I have done in the past and simply pass the blame. The story itself gets interrupted suddenly. One minute Jesus is following this man to heal his daughter and the next moment Jesus has stopped to deal with a side issue, yet another need. This man who impressed Jesus because he was a ruler in the synagogue (Jewish meeting place) and had humbled himself and fallen on his knees to plead for his daughter’s life. Jesus’ diversion was a slap in the face, an unscheduled pit stop, an inconvenience there wasn’t time for. At least that’s how I would have seen it.
But not this man. There was something truly different about him. He didn’t stand over Jesus tapping at his watch as the Savior met another immediate need. He refused to demand Jesus continue on his original flight plan to his house. He neglected to throw a temper tantrum and stomp his feet and scream aloud in frustration. He decided against whispering to those around him, gossiping about how this Jesus claimed to be one thing and do something for me, then get side-tracked for this hideous, wreck of a woman. Someone unworthy to wear my daughter’s dirty shoes. No words or actions emanated from this man that were not righteous at the time. Instead, he waited. Patiently.
His faith in Jesus was strong enough that he knew his daughter would be fine. I wonder if our faith has made it to that point yet. Do we sit back in patience and rejoice with others as they receive their miracle? Or do we sour on the sidelines, angry at God and wondering where our promised miracle is?
Jesus got into the boat again and went back to the other side of the lake, where a large crowd gathered around him on the shore. Then a leader of the local synagogue, whose name was Jairus, arrived. When he saw Jesus, he fell at his feet, pleading fervently with him. “My little daughter is dying,” he said. “Please come and lay your hands on her; heal her so she can live.” Jesus went with him, and all the people followed, crowding around him.
If you thought I cut off the Bible reading abruptly this morning, you’re a very perceptive person. Being the former alcoholic/addict I am, I will do as I have done in the past and simply pass the blame. The story itself gets interrupted suddenly. One minute Jesus is following this man to heal his daughter and the next moment Jesus has stopped to deal with a side issue, yet another need. This man who impressed Jesus because he was a ruler in the synagogue (Jewish meeting place) and had humbled himself and fallen on his knees to plead for his daughter’s life. Jesus’ diversion was a slap in the face, an unscheduled pit stop, an inconvenience there wasn’t time for. At least that’s how I would have seen it.
But not this man. There was something truly different about him. He didn’t stand over Jesus tapping at his watch as the Savior met another immediate need. He refused to demand Jesus continue on his original flight plan to his house. He neglected to throw a temper tantrum and stomp his feet and scream aloud in frustration. He decided against whispering to those around him, gossiping about how this Jesus claimed to be one thing and do something for me, then get side-tracked for this hideous, wreck of a woman. Someone unworthy to wear my daughter’s dirty shoes. No words or actions emanated from this man that were not righteous at the time. Instead, he waited. Patiently.
His faith in Jesus was strong enough that he knew his daughter would be fine. I wonder if our faith has made it to that point yet. Do we sit back in patience and rejoice with others as they receive their miracle? Or do we sour on the sidelines, angry at God and wondering where our promised miracle is?
Saturday, November 5, 2011
Morning Message
Scripture References:
Title or topic of message:
Notes:
Questions I have about the message:
How can I apply this message to my life?
Title or topic of message:
Notes:
Questions I have about the message:
How can I apply this message to my life?
Friday, November 4, 2011
Reflection and Meditation
This week, we have discussed issues such as building faith to endure the storms of life, being delivered from sin and depravity by Jesus, staying focused on Jesus amidst the chaos surrounding us, and the simplicity of sharing the Gospel through our stories.
With that in mind, reflect and meditate on the following questions:
1. What are a few of the storms now raging in your life? If you're truly honest, can you say that you have given them to God and are standing in faith? If not, prayerfully ask God to show you ways in which you can do so.
2. Whether it was more or less dramatic than his conversion, have you had an experience like the Hurting Man? If so, take the time to write out your story today. If not, prayerfully ask God to help you and get up with the pastors or another trustworthy friend.
3. Have you ever been so consumed by the things going on around you that you lose sight of Jesus? What types of steps can you take to remedy the situation?
4. Have you ever felt like you or your testimony wasn’t glorious enough to share with others? What steps can you take to trash that lie and share your story with others? List 3 people you would like to share your Gospel story with and begin praying for them and the opportunity to share your story with them.
5. Take just a few more minutes to praise God. Thank Him for who He is and all He has done for you. Praise Him for being so much bigger than us and our situations. Praise Him through your misunderstanding and lack of faith. Confess anything that has been tugging at your Spirit this week. Ask God to meet your needs and trust Him to do so. Now go share your story.
With that in mind, reflect and meditate on the following questions:
1. What are a few of the storms now raging in your life? If you're truly honest, can you say that you have given them to God and are standing in faith? If not, prayerfully ask God to show you ways in which you can do so.
2. Whether it was more or less dramatic than his conversion, have you had an experience like the Hurting Man? If so, take the time to write out your story today. If not, prayerfully ask God to help you and get up with the pastors or another trustworthy friend.
3. Have you ever been so consumed by the things going on around you that you lose sight of Jesus? What types of steps can you take to remedy the situation?
4. Have you ever felt like you or your testimony wasn’t glorious enough to share with others? What steps can you take to trash that lie and share your story with others? List 3 people you would like to share your Gospel story with and begin praying for them and the opportunity to share your story with them.
5. Take just a few more minutes to praise God. Thank Him for who He is and all He has done for you. Praise Him for being so much bigger than us and our situations. Praise Him through your misunderstanding and lack of faith. Confess anything that has been tugging at your Spirit this week. Ask God to meet your needs and trust Him to do so. Now go share your story.
Thursday, November 3, 2011
Sharing Our Story
Mark 5: 18-20 (NLT)
As Jesus was getting into the boat, the man who had been demon possessed begged to go with him. But Jesus said, “No, go home to your family, and tell them everything the Lord has done for you and how merciful he has been.” So the man started off to visit the Ten Towns of that region and began to proclaim the great things Jesus had done for him; and everyone was amazed at what he told them.
Last month, we discussed the parable of the seed falling in four different areas of soil (October 26 - Mark 4: 1-20). You’ll recall that the first seed was snatched up by the birds before it had a chance to grow. I bring this picture back to your memory because one of the quickest ways the birds (Satan and the things of this fallen world) chomp on passionate Christians is by offering this most profound lie - that we can’t follow Christ and lead others to Him without knowing everything about Him. This one simple, yet destructive, lie has feasted on more believers than the one about saying Jesus can’t possibly love us because of our past. The end of this unusual and miraculous story tells us all we need to know on the matter.
Begging with a new desperation, the healed man pleads with Jesus to let him follow Him. But Jesus lovingly says, “Go home to your own people. Tell them your story - what the Master did, how he had mercy on you.” (verse 19, The Message) Jesus is telling the man, and us, all we need to know. Our story. How we were one way before and now we’re different. And the only difference is Jesus. His love. His compassion. His forgiveness. His mercy. His grace. We don’t need anything else to share the Gospel of Jesus with anybody. We are His Gospel! By telling the man, and us, that all we need is our story, Jesus is indirectly saying we don’t need theological doctrines or seminary degrees or “Reverend” in front of our names to spread the Gospel. We must only be willing. When people begin to see the changes in us, they will want what we have. It will be contagious.
So stop relying on the stories of others and go tell your own.
As Jesus was getting into the boat, the man who had been demon possessed begged to go with him. But Jesus said, “No, go home to your family, and tell them everything the Lord has done for you and how merciful he has been.” So the man started off to visit the Ten Towns of that region and began to proclaim the great things Jesus had done for him; and everyone was amazed at what he told them.
Last month, we discussed the parable of the seed falling in four different areas of soil (October 26 - Mark 4: 1-20). You’ll recall that the first seed was snatched up by the birds before it had a chance to grow. I bring this picture back to your memory because one of the quickest ways the birds (Satan and the things of this fallen world) chomp on passionate Christians is by offering this most profound lie - that we can’t follow Christ and lead others to Him without knowing everything about Him. This one simple, yet destructive, lie has feasted on more believers than the one about saying Jesus can’t possibly love us because of our past. The end of this unusual and miraculous story tells us all we need to know on the matter.
Begging with a new desperation, the healed man pleads with Jesus to let him follow Him. But Jesus lovingly says, “Go home to your own people. Tell them your story - what the Master did, how he had mercy on you.” (verse 19, The Message) Jesus is telling the man, and us, all we need to know. Our story. How we were one way before and now we’re different. And the only difference is Jesus. His love. His compassion. His forgiveness. His mercy. His grace. We don’t need anything else to share the Gospel of Jesus with anybody. We are His Gospel! By telling the man, and us, that all we need is our story, Jesus is indirectly saying we don’t need theological doctrines or seminary degrees or “Reverend” in front of our names to spread the Gospel. We must only be willing. When people begin to see the changes in us, they will want what we have. It will be contagious.
So stop relying on the stories of others and go tell your own.
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
The Seeing Blind
Mark 5: 16-17 (NLT)
Then those who had seen what happened told the others about the demon-possessed man and the pigs. And the crowd began pleading with Jesus to go away and leave them alone.
Today we remove the focus off of the delivered man and shine the light on those around for this spiritual encounter. The people who lived in the area, those who were in control of the pigs. In verses sixteen and seventeen of The Message, it reads, “At first they were in awe – and then they were upset, upset over drowned pigs. They demanded that Jesus leave and not come back.” What is as nearly amazing as the miraculous deliverance Jesus just wrought, is the reaction of the surrounding spectators. They wanted Jesus to leave! They would rather have their pigs back and the man romping around the graveyard ripped apart by sin! Unbelievable! But it happened.
About a month and a half ago, John (the Pastor, not the Baptist) delivered a Sunday morning message about our focus. He discussed how we tend to recognize all the junk in our lives rather than focusing on Jesus and all the blessings we enjoy. He even threw in an illustration from the film Twister for good measure. The scene where the tornado-obsessed woman is desperately flailing to get her experiment ready amidst the swirling winds and thumping hail and flying cows. And she’s so focused on all this mess that she fails to notice the love of her life standing there shouting, “You got me! I‘m your hero! I love you!”
And that’s a beautiful word picture for such an ugly turn to a beautiful story. These folks – and us? – were so focused on what they were losing that they failed to see the Savior of the world standing right in front of them. With his healing of the man, Jesus was shouting, “It’s me! Your Savior! Your Deliverer! I love you!”
So what are you focused on?
Then those who had seen what happened told the others about the demon-possessed man and the pigs. And the crowd began pleading with Jesus to go away and leave them alone.
Today we remove the focus off of the delivered man and shine the light on those around for this spiritual encounter. The people who lived in the area, those who were in control of the pigs. In verses sixteen and seventeen of The Message, it reads, “At first they were in awe – and then they were upset, upset over drowned pigs. They demanded that Jesus leave and not come back.” What is as nearly amazing as the miraculous deliverance Jesus just wrought, is the reaction of the surrounding spectators. They wanted Jesus to leave! They would rather have their pigs back and the man romping around the graveyard ripped apart by sin! Unbelievable! But it happened.
About a month and a half ago, John (the Pastor, not the Baptist) delivered a Sunday morning message about our focus. He discussed how we tend to recognize all the junk in our lives rather than focusing on Jesus and all the blessings we enjoy. He even threw in an illustration from the film Twister for good measure. The scene where the tornado-obsessed woman is desperately flailing to get her experiment ready amidst the swirling winds and thumping hail and flying cows. And she’s so focused on all this mess that she fails to notice the love of her life standing there shouting, “You got me! I‘m your hero! I love you!”
And that’s a beautiful word picture for such an ugly turn to a beautiful story. These folks – and us? – were so focused on what they were losing that they failed to see the Savior of the world standing right in front of them. With his healing of the man, Jesus was shouting, “It’s me! Your Savior! Your Deliverer! I love you!”
So what are you focused on?
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
As I Lay Dying
Mark 5: 1-15 (NLT)
So they arrived at the other side of the lake, in the region of the Gerasenes. When Jesus climbed out of the boat, a man possessed by an evil spirit came out from a cemetery to meet him. This man lived among the burial caves and could no longer be restrained, even with a chain. Whenever he was put into chains and shackles—as he often was—he snapped the chains from his wrists and smashed the shackles. No one was strong enough to subdue him. Day and night he wandered among the burial caves and in the hills, howling and cutting himself with sharp stones.
When Jesus was still some distance away, the man saw him, ran to meet him, and bowed low before him. With a shriek, he screamed, “Why are you interfering with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? In the name of God, I beg you, don’t torture me!” For Jesus had already said to the spirit, “Come out of the man, you evil spirit.”
Then Jesus demanded, “What is your name?”
And he replied, “My name is Legion, because there are many of us inside this man.” Then the evil spirits begged him again and again not to send them to some distant place. There happened to be a large herd of pigs feeding on the hillside nearby. “Send us into those pigs,” the spirits begged. “Let us enter them.” So Jesus gave them permission. The evil spirits came out of the man and entered the pigs, and the entire herd of 2,000 pigs plunged down the steep hillside into the lake and drowned in the water. The herdsmen fled to the nearby town and the surrounding countryside, spreading the news as they ran. People rushed out to see what had happened. A crowd soon gathered around Jesus, and they saw the man who had been possessed by the legion of demons. He was sitting there fully clothed and perfectly sane, and they were all afraid.
Everything Jesus did while walking the earth was meant to be an eternal example to us. This fascinating, yet eerie story is another episode in that vein. While the story itself deals with the account of a demon-possessed man being delivered by Jesus, we can easily see the subtle, underlying meaning for all of us. We were - or still are - just like him.
If you’re anything like me, you’ll try to clean up your story. Make it more acceptable and less “demonic.” But we can’t hide who we really were. Think about it: we were (or are) in a distant country, far apart from where Jesus is. Let’s call that place sin. We were (or are) tossing and flopping like a fish out of water, trying anything to satisfy the raging emptiness within. We were (or are) flailing so much that we break any restraints designed for our own safety. We were (or are) screaming at the top of our lungs, until we’re hoarse, for a respite from the pain. We were (or are) cutting ourselves to pieces with our destructive behaviors and severing all relationships. We were (or are) tortured day and night with our thoughts, feelings, and actions. And the consequences they entail.
Thankfully, that isn’t the end of the story though. For we were (or are now) approached by a loving Jesus, whose eternal, compassionate eyes slice through the evil and sin to see the hurting soul within. The soul that is so troubled and lost it can’t even speak for itself. It can only say something like, “My name is Mob. I’m a rioting Mob” (verse 10, The Message).
Before falling in a heap before the Savior.
So they arrived at the other side of the lake, in the region of the Gerasenes. When Jesus climbed out of the boat, a man possessed by an evil spirit came out from a cemetery to meet him. This man lived among the burial caves and could no longer be restrained, even with a chain. Whenever he was put into chains and shackles—as he often was—he snapped the chains from his wrists and smashed the shackles. No one was strong enough to subdue him. Day and night he wandered among the burial caves and in the hills, howling and cutting himself with sharp stones.
When Jesus was still some distance away, the man saw him, ran to meet him, and bowed low before him. With a shriek, he screamed, “Why are you interfering with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? In the name of God, I beg you, don’t torture me!” For Jesus had already said to the spirit, “Come out of the man, you evil spirit.”
Then Jesus demanded, “What is your name?”
And he replied, “My name is Legion, because there are many of us inside this man.” Then the evil spirits begged him again and again not to send them to some distant place. There happened to be a large herd of pigs feeding on the hillside nearby. “Send us into those pigs,” the spirits begged. “Let us enter them.” So Jesus gave them permission. The evil spirits came out of the man and entered the pigs, and the entire herd of 2,000 pigs plunged down the steep hillside into the lake and drowned in the water. The herdsmen fled to the nearby town and the surrounding countryside, spreading the news as they ran. People rushed out to see what had happened. A crowd soon gathered around Jesus, and they saw the man who had been possessed by the legion of demons. He was sitting there fully clothed and perfectly sane, and they were all afraid.
Everything Jesus did while walking the earth was meant to be an eternal example to us. This fascinating, yet eerie story is another episode in that vein. While the story itself deals with the account of a demon-possessed man being delivered by Jesus, we can easily see the subtle, underlying meaning for all of us. We were - or still are - just like him.
If you’re anything like me, you’ll try to clean up your story. Make it more acceptable and less “demonic.” But we can’t hide who we really were. Think about it: we were (or are) in a distant country, far apart from where Jesus is. Let’s call that place sin. We were (or are) tossing and flopping like a fish out of water, trying anything to satisfy the raging emptiness within. We were (or are) flailing so much that we break any restraints designed for our own safety. We were (or are) screaming at the top of our lungs, until we’re hoarse, for a respite from the pain. We were (or are) cutting ourselves to pieces with our destructive behaviors and severing all relationships. We were (or are) tortured day and night with our thoughts, feelings, and actions. And the consequences they entail.
Thankfully, that isn’t the end of the story though. For we were (or are now) approached by a loving Jesus, whose eternal, compassionate eyes slice through the evil and sin to see the hurting soul within. The soul that is so troubled and lost it can’t even speak for itself. It can only say something like, “My name is Mob. I’m a rioting Mob” (verse 10, The Message).
Before falling in a heap before the Savior.
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