Friday, May 23, 2008

Urging People To Do What The Lord Commands

Its hard to improve on the good thinking of others.

This quote came my way and caused me to think a lot about my own experience in sharing my faith and my commitment to telling others about what the Lord Jesus has done in my life. I share it in the hope that it will stimulate othes to think . . . and to pray . . . and then to act.

The bottom line is simple . . . people need the Lord.

"This is a day when we have become very clever at developing techniques, a day when we are apt to be urging people to witness; and what usually happens? They witness for a while, and then they stop. Then they are exhorted to witness again, so they go a little further, then stop again. But why do they stop?

Have you ever noticed in the Pauline epistles that Paul never urges Christians to witness nor has he anything to say about foreign missions? Nothing! How interesting! If you have to constantly be telling people to witness, something is wrong with them. If you always have to be pumping up people to get them interested in foreign missions, something is wrong with the people. What is Paul always doing? He is consistently bringing you to Christ and leaving you with Christ. When Christ is central in the heart of the man, what does the man want to do? He wants to tell others about Jesus, and he will do so effectively.

Let Jesus Christ be central in the heart of a man, and he is going to be burdened and troubled because millions have never heard of Christ. It is going to disturb him and bring into action. What he needs is not more exhortation; he needs Christ. And the Christ within him who died for the world will speak through him to that lost world. Without true passion for Christ, nothing works consistently. It loses its power."
Joseph S. Carroll in "How to Worship Jesus Christ"

Monday, May 19, 2008

An Ugly Disease

I have found myself studying the disease of leprosy recently in preparation for preaching a sermon about Jesus' healing of a leper. The New Testament tells us that Jesus felt compassion for this man whom Dr. Luke describes as being "full of leprosy" . . . he was in the advanced stages of this terrible muscular and neurological condition that also effected the skin in such a repugnant way.

Leprosy is an ugly, disgusting disease. Not nearly contagious, apparently, as many thought years ago, but it still maims and disfigures . . . and when diagnosed requires months of treatment to effect a cure.

Jesus healed this leper with a simple command, "be cleansed". Mark's gospel says simply that the leprosy "left him".

What a glorious event for this poor man. It had probably been years since he'd been touched by his wife or had been able to hold his children. He has been an outcast, discarded by society and relegated to the trash heap. He had to keep his distance from regular folk and was required to call out "unclean, unclean" when anyone approached . . .

And now he is clean! His rotten flesh restored. His open sores and maimed limbs renewed.

The Bible compares this terrible disease to another dreaded human condition called "sin". This disease afflicts every person on the planet and just like this leper, every one of us needs to come to the savior for cleansing.

Unlike this leper, however, most of us don't recognize the presence of this disease. Even when confronted by the fact that we live our lives in violation of God's law (called "transgression") and we fall seriously short of God's standard, His moral law (the ten commandments) we simply excuse it by claiming to be normal or simply "human".

Like this leper we must come to Jesus in humility and worship seeking His cleansing. We need to see the awfulness and ugliness of our disease. The prophet Isaiah said that our good deeds and righteous acts are like "filithy rags" in God's sight. They aren't good enough to accomplish the cure from this dreaded disease . . . after all, if the BEST we can do is viewed as "filthy rags", what must our worst stuff look like?

Wednesday, April 16, 2008

Running Out Of Gas

What could be more embarassing than running out of gas?

One year the New Year's Day Rose Parade in Pasadena was delayed because one of the floats ran out gas and had to wait for gas to be brought. More embarassing than that was the fact that the sponsor's name was boldly written on the side of the float for all to see . . . Standard Oil!

We run out of gas, too, in our spiritual lives when we fail to keep our spiritual tanks full by regularly spending quality time with our heavenly Father in His presence. We can learn from Jesus as we watch Him taking time from His busy days to draw aside for this kind of quality time. Quality time is relationship building time not request making time . . . notice Jesus in Mark 1:35-39.

1. QUALITY TIME ALONE WITH THE FATHER WAS A PRIORITY FOR JESUS
A. He prayed early
B. He prayed away from the activity/busyness
C. He prayed alone (“left…went away…”)
D. it was His habit (cf. Luke 22:39 “he proceeded as was His custom to the Mount of Olives”;
cf. Mark 6:31)
2. QUALITY TIME ALONE WITH THE FATHER WAS THE PLAN OF JESUS
-this didn’t happen by accident . . . it wasn’t something done in his “spare time . . .
it was INTENTIONAL!!
3. QUALITY TIME ALONE WITH THE FATHER HAD A PURPOSE FOR JESUS
A. because of a relationship-- **E Stanley Jones: Prayer is like a time exposure to God
B. not because of a need to get something

Let's not be like that Standard Oil float!

Running out of gas is not only embarassing, it is dangerous.

Friday, March 14, 2008

What A Kiss!

When is a kiss more than a kiss?

I always thought that the kiss Judas gave to Jesus in the garden of Gethsemane must have been a simple peck on the cheek. Afterall, it was a sign of his betrayal . . . it marked Jesus out for arrest and execution!

What a shock for me this week when I discovered that the word used in Matthew's account of Jesus' arrest was an intensive verb form of the word "to kiss" and it implied a fervent and continuous expression of affection. Wow! Judas was a bigger creep than I thought . . . or as someone blurted out at Bible study this week after I shared this insight: "WHAT HYPOCRISY!" I couldn't agree more.

For me, however, there was also the thought that just as Judas betrayed Jesus in this most powerful way, so it is possible for me to "betray" him today. I give fervent worship and praise on Sunday mornings but do I proclaim loudly and long my devotion and love for him the rest of the week? Do I eagerly and openly tell others about Him and his sacrifice at the cross for them?

Betrayal is much more easily seen in the life of a 'Judas'. Lord, help us to see the betrayal in our own lives.

Thursday, March 13, 2008

If you are NOT fishing, you are NOT following!

I've been thinking about the implications of this statement for several weeks:
"If you are NOT fishing, you are NOT following."


Jesus' call in the lives of his disciples was fairly simple . . . he called them first to FAITH . . . to believe in Him, to entrust themselves to who He was. Andrew marks this journey in John 1:29-42 as his understand grows from calling Jesus "rabbi" to recognizing him as the "Messiah".

He next called thim to FOLLOW . . . to follow Him! Mark 1:16-20 recounts the story of Jesus' summons to Peter, Andrew, James, and John. He didn't call them to follow a philosophy or to embrace a set of doctrines . . . he called them to follow HIM. And they did. They left everything to follow and learn from Him.

He also called them to FISH . . . his commitment was to enlist them and enable them to become fishers of men. They would be devoting themselves to bringing others to Jesus.

The call is the same today. FAITH . . . FOLLOW . . . FISH.

If you aren't fishing, you aren't following.

If I'm not telling others about Jesus . . . if I'm not introducing people to the savior . . . if I am not seeking to communicate the good news of salvation and forgiveness of sin that is found in Jesus, then I can not claim to be a follower of His. Because . . . if I'm not fishing, I'm not following.

I can be doing lots of good things for him . . . teaching Sunday School, leading a Bible study, ushering, singing in the choir, etc, etc . . . but if I'm not fishing, I'm not following.

Fishing is job #1.

Friday, February 22, 2008

Christians Are Like Tea Bags

This quote has been on my mind for the last week or so . . . "Christians are like tea bags . . . the only way to find out what is inside is to drop them into hot water."

The current form of "hot water" that I find myself in is pretty minor compared to that which others experience. My "hot water" time, in fact, will be over in a couple of weeks and I will have recovered from my injuries. Many people stay in their hot water a lot longer and I suspect for some they would even say that their water is hotter than mine . . . I wouldn't be able to disagree.

Regardless, I find myself reflecting on what is being found in my tea bag . . . discovering what is inside. Today my suspicion is that my wife would be the better reporter on what has been found within this feeble tea bag. She has had the task of putting up with me 24/7 . . . having me around the house all day long . . . needed to chauffer me to my doctor appointments . . . carrying things for me that I can't carry . . . cooking for me . . . the list of "for me" stuff goes on and on.

Fortunately for me, she hasn't checked into the blog to report on what she has found in this old tea bag. She can compare notes with me Sunday when I preach on the theme "Lessons Learned In The Wilderness". I may let some of my findings leak out for public consumption . . .

Tuesday, February 12, 2008

Impatient Patient

I’ve never experienced anything like this.

Recovery from the broken rib and broken pelvis that resulted from that bicycle accident two weeks ago is taking a long time. Of course, for me, anything longer than say 10 to 15 minutes is a long time. I was ready to get up, get out, and get going from day one . . . except of course for the slight problem of not being able to support any weight on my left leg . . .

Those who know me well have sent encouraging notes and emails . . . many have included words along the line of “I bet you’re not an easy person to keep down” . . . or, “you best listen to your doctor and your wife” . . . or, “just be patient”.

That last request borders on the ludicrous for me . . . if you really knew me you’d know that patience in definitely not by strong suit . . .

And then is struck me, maybe that’s one of the lessons to be learned from this soon-to-be-month-long period of recovery. I’m supposed to learn about patience . . . about the value of slowing down . . . about how to use quiet, alone time to best advantage.

James said it best in his New Testament book when he wrote “My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.” (emphasis added; James 1:2-4)

Slowing down and smelling the roses has never struck me as being much fun; however, slowing down and reading several good books just might help make this time of learning patience go by a bit easier . . .