Tag: disciples

The Jealous Heart of God

“They will recognize how hurt I am by their unfaithful hearts and lustful eyes.”

Ezekiel 6:9, NLT

Hollywood talks about “the force,” but the Bible reveals something far more than that. The Holy Spirit is personal, not something but Someone. Even though He is a Spirit and has all the attributes of God, He also has a personality and can be offended.

  • He grieves, Ephesians 4:30
  • We can quench His Spirit, 1 Thessalonians 5:19
  • He is outraged (some translations say insulted), Hebrews 10:29

It’s also critically important to understand the jealousy of God. Twelve times in the OT we read this about God. (To be jealous can be good, and it can be bad.) Here’s just one verse:

“Thus says the Lord of hosts: I am jealous for Zion with great jealousy, and I am jealous for her with great wrath.”

Zechariah 8:2

in the Hebrew the word for jealous means “to become intensely red.” It has the thought of a face becoming flushed with deep emotion. This shows that God truly loves His covenant people. He’s concerned for them.

We find that the Holy Spirit is disturbed by faithlessness.

We can insult Him. We can grieve Him.

God can be hurt by our decision to ignore Him and sin. He’s disturbed by our commitment to anything but Him. This is the essence of idolatry and that hurts Him. God insists that we turn to Him first, and by faith and the power of the Holy Spirit, live under the control of the King.

We can become traitors. Does God weep for us?

“If we be married to Christ, and He be jealous of us, depend upon it this jealous husband will let none touch His spouse.”

     Charles Spurgeon

Purity in an Impure World

First, let’s start off with a definition. Purity describes something that is not mixed with anything else. It’s not 80% of something, or even 99.9%, rather it’s fully and completely one thing. Purity also means to be solely without any additive, contamination or pollution.

Purity of heart is to be exclusively focused on one thing.

In the ancient Greek, the phrase “pure of heart” has the idea of straightness, honesty, and clarity. Probably the go-to Bible verse is found in Matthew 5:8. This is the definitive word on being a pure person, and the promise transmitted concerning “purity.”

“God blesses those whose hearts are pure, for they will see God.” 

Being a “pure-in-the-heart” person is the starting point for anyone who really wants to walk with God. If you’re truly serious about this, and really want to follow Him, then Jesus declares this to be where you begin.

This verse, 5:8, “strikes the very center of the target as he says, not ‘Blessed are the pure in language, or the pure in action,’ much less ‘Blessed are the pure in ceremonies, or in raiment, or in food;’ but ‘Blessed are the pure in heart.’” (C.H. Spurgeon)

We really must see this world as God sees it. 

We find that scripture is not very kind to us. It seems that mankind defiles everything he touches. (I wish it wasn’t so.)

“The human mind is the most deceitful of all things. It is incurable. No one can understand how deceitful it is.” Jeremiah 17:9

Consider the following areas that are affected by out “fallenness:

  • Entertainment, movies, the internet 
  • Politics, local, national and world 
  • Religion, philosophy, theology and spirituality
  • Culture and art, literature and music
  • Education
  • Science and technology, medicine and psychology
  • Economics, wealth and poverty
  • Sexuality

The above list is hardly complete, and as I compiled it I got a little heavy-hearted. I had to ask myself, are we really this bad? Again the Christian must look at the Bible for wisdom and direction.

 “All have sinned and continually fall short of the glory of God.” Romans 3:23

“The heart of the sons of men is full of evil, and madness is in their heart while they live.” Ecclesiates 9:3

As Christians who spiritually understand the work and the love of Jesus Christ. We are called to know and love God, must continually reacquaint ourselves to the absolutely depraved condition of this world. No one, and nothing is exempt.

There is another verse I want to consider, it mentions purity twice!

“Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere brotherly love, love one another earnestly from a pure heart,” 1 Peter 1:22

Notice. The verse stresses that we have to take the initiative. Now I suspect that being pure is our responsibility. “Obedience to the truth” must lead to “brotherly love.” It’s not really a surprise that that’s where we end up. 

To really see God, and to truly love others, requires purity. 

When it comes to being pure we must become humble–that’s our starting point. Humility keeps purity from becoming false. We dare not become “holier-than-thou.” We can easily become hard, religious and judgemental. Becoming a “Pharisee” is easy and always possible.

I pray that this isn’t true.

Lower Seat Christians

Luke 14:7-11

“Now he told a parable to those who were invited, when he noticed how they chose the places of honor, saying to them, 8 “When you are invited by someone to a wedding feast, do not sit down in a place of honor, lest someone more distinguished than you be invited by him, 9 and he who invited you both will come and say to you, ‘Give your place to this person,’ and then you will begin with shame to take the lowest place. 10 But when you are invited, go and sit in the lowest place, so that when your host comes he may say to you, ‘Friend, move up higher.’ Then you will be honored in the presence of all who sit at table with you. 

11 For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”

Choose your seat carefully. In Jesus’ day, there was a definite seating order to a wedding feast. It wasn’t first come, first served. There was a strict protocol, where one’s importance mattered. Honored people got honorable seats–close to the front as possible. Average people got average spots; but no one wanted be at the bottom, having to sit at the “kids table.”

Jesus was watching, and what he saw was a spiritual principle of His Kingdom.

Jesus often teaches out of the things we encounter–real life events. Spiritual truth often hits us from those things we actually see. If you want to know what God is doing in your life, all you need to do is look around at the “practical” things, and start to see the spiritual lessons inside them. We learn from real-life. That’s how he often teaches us, he combines the Word with what we’re experiencing.

Our natural inclination is to move higher up.

We often think that we’re deserving, and so we take our “rightful” positions. That’s the way humans think. We all want to sit in the best possible place, and so we end up wheedling our way up front. We can fall into the subtle trap of self-promotion. But that’s not how discipleship works.

Jesus corrects, advising us to take the lowest place. I think verse 11 is the key to figuring out this seating arrangement. We’re starting to see a physical situation become a spiritual lesson. There’s much to learn. Here’s verse 11 in the Amplified version:

“For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled [before others], and he who habitually humbles himself (keeps a realistic self-view) will be exalted.”

Verse 14, Amplified Bible

This translation injects some realism into our lives, especially in how we see ourselves. It’s something quite foundational. It lays down a principle that is always true in his Kingdom (1 Peter 5:6). If we don’t accept and implement this, we’ll suffer a definite deficiency in our discipleship. It stunts the growth of many believers. And that is tragic.

The whole scene lays out how life in the spirit really works, and it seems terribly paradoxical.

Our human logic asserts that deliberately choosing the lesser is foolish, things really don’t work that way. We think (falsely), that we’ll only advance by asserting ourselves. But Jesus, quite aptly, clarifies the ways of the Kingdom–true maturity will only come if we decide to take the lowest place.

“Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.”

James 4:10

The Snare: Psalm 91

caged-bird

“Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High
    will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.
2 I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress,
    my God, in whom I trust.” 

Psalm 91:1-2, NIV

This psalm focuses on being intimate with our heavenly Father.

Throughout the entire chapter, we see personal pronouns used. In contrast to other psalms that are directed to the nation, this one is written to an individual. This personal focus makes this a favorite psalm for many.

Shelter and shadow, refuge and fortress.

These are the opening ‘word pictures’ and they’re used very adeptly.  The psalmist writes what he knows, and it is apparent that he understands deeply the needs of the human spirit, and its protection. Each of these four words creates a common link between believers. Each of us needs a working understanding of all four protections.

I should ‘dwell’ in God’s sheltered care. All too often, I wander out past the security of the Lord (or maybe I’m lured out?) But there is safety in having God so close to us. His proximity is for my protection.

“Surely he will save you
    from the fowler’s snare
    and from the deadly pestilence.
4 He will cover you with his feathers,
    and under his wings you will find refuge;
    his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.”

Psalm 91:3-4

silhouette-bird-on-branch-granger

V.v. 3-4, maintains its personal tone. ‘Save you’ (salvation) is far more than a theological term.  The psalmist is not speaking ‘doctrine’ as much as the psalm describes a loving embrace. He is rescued from a deadly trap, and jumping from metaphor to metaphor, he engages our imaginations to ‘see’ God’s salvation. The writer knows his stuff.

The Lord is pictured as a protective bird that covers his chicks.

We have a sure confidence as we gather together in that warm and safe spot under His wing. Whatever is after us has to go through God first. His presence is formidable. In His company is found our only safety.

“What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies.”

Romans 8:31, 33

All of heaven is rallying for your well-being. You are sure of this based on your faith in God’s own word. He has ‘busted us’ out of a dark cage, and now defends you against all your enemies.

And that is a very good thing.

 

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The Church is Collecting Sinners

The following excerpt is from the devotional book, “Living the Message,” by Eugene H. Peterson.  This pastor-professor is probably the person I want to grow up to be like; he has a gentleness and eloquence that is seldom seen–and highly respected.
Dr. Peterson died in 2018.

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“When Christian believers gather in churches, everything that can go wrong sooner or later does.  Outsiders, on observing this, conclude there is nothing to this religious business, except perhaps, business…and a distant one at that.  Insiders see it much differently.”

“Just as a hospital gathers the sick under one roof and labels them as such, the Church collects sinners.” 

“Many people outside are just as sick as the ones inside, but their illnesses are either undiagnosed or disguised.  It is similar with sinners outside the church.”

“One way to define spiritual life is getting so tired and fed up with yourself you go on to something better, which is following Jesus.”

Some other quotes by Eugene Peterson:

  • “All the persons of faith I know are sinners, doubters, uneven performers. We are secure not because we are sure of ourselves but because we trust that God is sure of us.”
  • “Suffering attracts fixers the way road-kills attract vultures.”
  • “When we sin and mess up our lives, we find that God doesn’t go off and leave us- he enters into our trouble and saves us.”
  • “That’s the whole spiritual life. It’s learning how to die. And as you learn how to die, you start losing all your illusions, and you start being capable now of true intimacy and love.”
  • “American religion is conspicuous for its messianically pretentious energy, its embarrassingly banal prose, and its impatiently hustling ambition.”

More Eugene Peterson Quotes…

Disproportionate Suffering

“Some Christians are called to endure a disproportionate amount of suffering. Such Christians are a spectacle of grace to the church, like flaming bushes unconsumed, and cause us to ask, like Moses:

‘Why is this bush not burned up?’

The strength and stability of these believers can be explained only by the miracle of God’s sustaining grace. The God who sustains Christians in unceasing pain is the same God — with the same grace — who sustains me in my smaller sufferings. We marvel at God’s persevering grace and grow in our confidence in Him as He governs our lives.”

— John Newton, author of “Amazing Grace”

+++

All of us know a brother or sister who seems to be a target of an undue amount of suffering. It seems like they’re always in the furnace. All we can do really is to shake our heads and then give them double honor for their faith in God’s grace and providence.

Ministering to these extreme sufferers can be a real challenge.

What can we say to those who seem to be on “God’s anvil?” How can we bless those who are in unbelievable pain?

Perhaps a very simple word of calm encouragement is the only real way to touch their hearts. They often don’t need another teaching or a link to a website. In the midst of some awful difficulties, I once had a dear brother who gently and carefully quoted Philippians 1:6 to me over and over whenever we met and whenever we parted:

“And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.”

Philippians 1:6

It was a precious thing that he did. I didn’t mind it all, as a matter of fact, I grew to like it. At first, I’ll admit it was strange, but my faith began to ‘mix’ with the Word and I began to believe it. It’s now my favorite verse in the Bible.

He refused to preach or counsel me. The light he carried was more than enough.

He had the maturity to see what God was doing and to make himself available to God on my behalf. Perhaps that patience he showed should become our own method of choice? I look forward to seeing him someday, someway. (If you hear someone quoting Philippians 1:6 in heaven, that will probably be Fred.) 🙂

“We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance.”

Romans 5:3

A keyword in this verse is “rejoice.”

It is a good reminder that the pain we feel is not the end. These trials have a limited duration (although admittedly it seems far away). There is coming a day when we can navigate through these issues and come out on the other side. “We will shine like the stars” (Daniel 12:3).

Much wisdom is needed in our ministry to disproportionate sufferers. We should have a fear of intruding on the work the Lord is doing. We must be patient and humble in this matter. There is no rushing God, after all, it’s His work. Most importantly we must be very much ‘present’ for our friend.

But not only that! We even take pride in our problems, because we know that trouble produces endurance,

Romans 5:3

A word spoken out of place can cause even more ‘heartache’ for the sufferer. Let us be careful. At times it’s better not to say anything, and that’s alright. Remember, Job’s friends were best sitting in the ash heap, saying nothing.  

The Lord God gives me
the right words
to encourage the weary.
Each morning he awakens me
eager to learn his teaching.
Isaiah 50:4, CEB

Ask the Father to guide you. Be gentle. Be there. He will give you, in His time, a good word for them.

Walking With Him in The Garden

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is pardes-hebrew-yellow-1.jpg

“When the cool evening breezes were blowing, the man and his wife heard the Lord God walking about in the garden. So they hid from the Lord God among the trees.”

Genesis 3:8

I honestly have never had the wonderful experience of strolling a lush garden with my Father. At least not totally. But when I’m engaging the Word, pressing in to comprehend a passage, it’s as if I’m truly walking in His orchard with Jesus.

But there is something more to this.

This word “pardes” is also an acronym. The rabbis taught that there are four levels of understanding as we peer into a passage.

  • P’shat–the surface or literal meaning of a verse or passage.
  • Remez– the symbolic or applied reason of the Word. How it connects with my daily life.
  • Drash–how it fits into other parts of the Bible, forming a purposeful teaching.
  • Sod–a hidden meaning that resides “underneath” the verse. This seems when the Holy Spirit gets really involved in the way I live. (Some would say “mystical.)

Now I’m not sure that every passage reaches the “sod” level. (Maybe we’re not really aware?)

When we truly study God’s Word it’s as we walk in the garden. He reveals Himself to us. The Genesis story shows us where we can find Him. The important thing I suppose is trying to hide from God’s presence. We can’t.

We must come to our Father, and learn to walk with Him. The Bible is the best way to fellowship with Him.

“Then the Lord God called to the man, “Where are you?”

Genesis 3:9

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Mixing Authority With His Mercy

“On the next day, when they had come down from the mountain, a great crowd met him. 38 And behold, a man from the crowd cried out, “Teacher, I beg you to look at my son, for he is my only child. 39 And behold, a spirit seizes him, and he suddenly cries out. It convulses him so that he foams at the mouth, and shatters him, and will hardly leave him. 40 And I begged your disciples to cast it out, but they could not.” 

41 Jesus answered, “O faithless and twisted generation, how long am I to be with you and bear with you? Bring your son here.” 42 While he was coming, the demon threw him to the ground and convulsed him. But Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit and healed the boy, and gave him back to his father. 

43 And all were astonished at the majesty of God.”

Luke 9:37-43

All of this takes place immediately after Jesus’ transfiguration. He has shown Himself to be God, wrapped tightly into manhood–He’s fully and completely the Word made flesh. He is the Creator, and He is holding the universe together. Who really can fathom this?

Overflowing with immense strength, yet also enveloped in unfathomable kindness.

He meets this desperate man, a man who is carrying incredible weight, a burden that had taken over his life. Jesus steps into a theological circus, after all, the scribes had shown up, and the disciples were disputing with them. The terrible need of the demonized boy had been forgotten.

The disciples had tried to free him, they really had.

Let’s face it, between the gathering crowd and the arguing scribes, they were overwhelmed–completely out of their element. Defeated, they didn’t know what to do. (Isn’t this a description of much of today’s church?)

The father of the demonized boy was desperate. He watched the bizarre scene unfold with tears in his eyes, yet he knew he had no other answers. He despaired but continued to wait. What else could he do?

Sometimes we as the Church stress theological niceties, and look beyond the awful needs around us. We would rather debate than serve. We prefer to assert rather than meet the incredible pain around us. How sad is this? We constantly meet terrible pain, and we choose to reside in some strange theological bubble of our own making.

When Jesus comes down from glory on the mountain, He immediately faces off with a desperate man and a demonized son. This father is terribly overwhelmed–the disciples had made a try (or two or three) and yet couldn’t free the boy. The demons had ignored their efforts and laughed at attempts to free him. These particular demons decided to stay inside this boy. The disciples could do nothing about it.

But when Jesus shows up, all hell breaks loose. Literally.

There is amazing power here. Jesus, already shown to be God on the mountain top, now declares His authority over the ugliness of the darkness. He absolutely demolishes the works of Satan. He steps forward and they must retreat.

Jesus dismantles the evil and decisively frees the boy.

The passage ends with this, “And everyone was amazed by the greatness of God.” We can connect this power to what we observed on the mountain peak–His Words are strong enough to keep the world in its position! He is the All-Powerful One, full of intense mercy who has decided to walk by our side. He fights against darkness and liberates us. He loves us.

“But have we Holy Spirit power – power that restricts the devil’s power, pulls down strongholds and obtains promises? Daring delinquents will be damned if they are not delivered from the devil’s dominion. What has hell to fear other than a God-anointed, prayer-powered church?”

   Leonard Ravenhill

A Summons to War

battle

“Watch, O Lord, with those who wake or weep tonight, and give your angels and saints charge over those who slumber.“

“Tend your sick ones, O Lord Christ, Rest your weary ones, Bless your dying ones, Soothe your suffering ones, Pity your afflicted ones, Shield your joyous ones,”

“And all for your love’s sake.”

Amen.

Augustine

Woven into this ancient ‘evening prayer’ is an idea of God meeting us with overflowing grace and kindness.  There is a strong sense of God watching everyone! And there is also a “tending” sense that He has overall.

As I read this prayer, I seem to focus on the single phrase, “shield your joyous ones.”  To think that these joyful people need protection strikes me as odd.  Why do they even need a “shield?”  Of all people, don’t they have it together?

God sees to our every need, and His flock can be incredibly needy.

As I thought it through, I started to realize that joy is its best standing in the shadow of warfare. The joyful ones are companions– “buddies” who share the same ‘fox hole’ on enemy lines.  But this isn’t a grim thing, Nehemiah told those trying to build the city walls,

“The joy of the Lord is your strength” 

Neh. 8:10

Joy connects with the desperate need of the moment; it is the muscle of all ministry.  And as a result, perhaps more vulnerable.

He didn’t say that the joy of the Lord is our happiness, cheeriness, or merriment. 

But rather, joy would impart strength, and stiffen one’s ability to go to war for our brothers and sisters, our churches, and our communities. There are certain epoxy resins that will only harden when a special light is used on them.  Maybe joy transforms into strength when we step toward our Father.

We need to spiritually protect and cover those who are His “joyous ones.”  They can be found sprinkled throughout our churches and ministries.  And they need us to shield them.  They seem to be quite exceptional, and seemingly invulnerable.  But that isn’t the case.  We need to pray for them. Joyful people inspire me in battle.

“The joy of the Lord will arm us against the assaults of our spiritual enemies and put our mouths out of taste for those pleasures with which the tempter baits his hooks.”     Matthew Henry

Speaking His Language

Peter Warms Himself

“The girl asked Peter, “Aren’t you one of Jesus’ disciples?”

“No,” he said, “I am not!”

“The police and the household servants were standing around a fire they had made, for it was cold. And Peter stood there with them, warming himself.”

John 18:17-18, Living Bible

The Galileans had a distinct accent. Just as we easily identify someone from Texas just by the tone and cadence of their speech, Peter had that distinct drawl that told everyone that he came from the same province as Jesus. It was something he couldn’t hide.

Peter was a very different man in his three years of being with Jesus. And you might say that had transformed him–you might even say that he was now a marked man, the enemy was now quite aware of him. He was no longer a captain of a small fishing boat looking for a catch. He was now the leader of Jesus’ disciples.

The entire text (18:15-18) reveals a confrontation that Peter had with a servant girl, and we hear him making a bald-faced lie. At this very moment, Peter was fulfilling the “promise” that Jesus had predicted (Matthew 26:31-32).

What was going through Peter’s head at that moment? She was a simple servant girl, perhaps one who ministered at the gate of the high priest’s home. It’s interesting that she is the first one to question Peter’s duplicity. Most likely she was just doing her job, watching and listening. She was probably quite alert.

It’s easy to point our finger at Peter.

He was a coward, and when he was put on the spot he bailed. People hate cowards–we extol those who take a definite stand against evil. But he was frightened, scared of being connected with Jesus–the man on trial. There was much at stake here.

We also speak with an accent. I know it might be a stretch–but being with Jesus has fundamentally changed us. Our lives now have a specific dialect that others hear, we’re not the same people that we once were.

We open our mouths and others hear the Kingdom of God. (Such as it is.)

Sometimes I try to pretend that I haven’t been with Jesus, and I’m very ashamed of that. Like Peter, I stand with the others and choose to warm myself by their fire, and I try very hard to make myself inconspicuous. But all I have to do is open my mouth, and I betray who I really am.

It’s hilarious, but even servant girls know that I belong to him.

“To stand before the Holy One of eternity is to change.”

Richard Foster