Category Archives: John

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The Divine Bouncer

Read: John 2

“Passion for God’s house will consume me.” (John 2:17, NLT)

I have always enjoyed this story of Jesus cleansing the temple. I love the robust image it paints of him.  It stands in stark contrast to most of the historical paintings as well as the more recent images we get from the portrayal of Jesus by filmmakers.  For some reason, artists from the Renaissance on up to this very day have given us a feminized Jesus—soft, tender, doe-eyed, almost porcelain-like.

That is not the Jesus of John 2:13-16 (NLT),

It was nearly time for the Jewish Passover celebration, so Jesus went to Jerusalem. In the Temple area he saw merchants selling cattle, sheep, and doves for sacrifices; he also saw dealers at tables exchanging foreign money. Jesus made a whip from some ropes and chased them all out of the Temple. He drove out the sheep and cattle, scattered the money changers’ coins over the floor, and turned over their tables. Then, going over to the people who sold doves, he told them, “Get these things out of here. Stop turning my Father’s house into a marketplace!”

Jesus doesn’t appear all that soft in this encounter, does he? I’d say he opened up a can of comeuppance on these merchants of religion, and no one dared stop him.  Go down to your local Saturday Market and do that, and see what happens.  People typically don’t take too kindly to having their economic systems so abruptly disrupted.

Jesus was different.  He was right—and people knew it. His anger was one of righteous indignation and holy zeal for the House of the Lord.  This kind of house cleaning was long overdue, and if they didn’t overtly cheer him on, inside the worshipers were secretly applauding.

Now as much as we enjoy this story, it really is incomplete if we don’t fast-forward to our time and ask how Jesus would respond if he walked into our church today.  How much zeal would Jesus express for his body, the temple of the Holy Spirit, the church?  How much holy fire and righteous indignation would he display for that which he suffered and died to redeem?  You see, in the new economy of the Kingdom of God, the church has replaced the temple as the dwelling place of God in the earth.  Of course, that refers more to a people than a place—yet both people and place are the church.  What would Jesus see in your church—in you, in your brothers and sisters in the local community of Christ, and in the activities that take place in your church building?  I have a sense that each, both people of worship and places of worship, are due for a little divine house cleaning.

Here’s what I would suggest: How about we get started before the Lord of the church has to show up and do it for us!

“Learn to break your own will. Be zealous against yourself.” ~Thomas A` Kempis

What If God Took Over?

May I suggest that you pray this prayer: “Lord, fill my belly with zeal for your house.  Let it consume me as it did you.  Zeal not only for the physical house in which your people gather, but also in this house made up of body, soul and spirit, in which your Spirit dwells.”

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The Andrew Factor

Read: John 1

Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, was one of these men who heard what John said and then followed Jesus. Andrew went to find his brother, Simon, and told him, “We have found the Messiah” (which means “Christ”). Then Andrew brought Simon to meet Jesus. (John 1:40-42, NLT)

Andrew is arguably the most inspiring figure in the New Testament because of his simple, non-threatening, doable example of how to reach lost people. Andrew didn’t have any special skills or advanced evangelism training, he just simply brought people to meet Jesus, and then let Jesus do the rest.

Even though Andrew was the first disciple Jesus enlisted, and even though he was the first to recognize Jesus as the Messiah, he never achieved the fame that his brother Peter did. Jesus’ never included Andrew in his inner circle, like Peter. Andrew wasn’t there at the Transfiguration, like Peter. Andrew wasn’t there when Jesus prayed in the Garden of Gesthemane, like Peter. Andrew never preached like Peter, never wrote a letter that got included in the New Testament, like Peter, and was never recognized as a key leader in the early church, like James.

Peter’s name appears close to 200 times in the New Testament, 96 times in the four gospels—only Jesus is mentioned more often. We find Andrew in only 11 different places, 10 of them in the Gospels—mostly in a list of the disciples; 5 as “Peter’s brother.” Only 3 times do these passages tell us any details about Andrew—and even that is minimal. Someone once asked a conductor what the most difficult instrument to play in the orchestra was. He said, “second fiddle.” That was Andrew!

Yet beneath everybody’s radar, Andrew was being used in the most powerful way of all—to bring people to Christ. Andrew not only brought Peter to Jesus, but in John 6:8, we find it was Andrew who brought the boy with the loaves and fish to Jesus, and then one of the outstanding miracles of the Bible took place: The feeding of the 5,000 with five loaves and two fish. On account of Andrew, we have a story preserved that has helped millions to understand that Jesus is the true and only Bread of Life. Then in John 12:20, some Greeks came to Philip and said, “we want to see Jesus.” Philip took them to Andrew, and what did Andrew do? He hooked them up with Jesus.

Andrew became both the first home missionary—when he led Peter to Christ, and the first foreign missionary—when he led these Gentiles to Jesus.

In Andrew, you don’t find any special skills or an incredibly charismatic personality, or an extremely articulate speaker. You just find a guy who was faithful, available, and useful. He just kept bringing everybody who got near him to Jesus.

Tradition tells us that Andrew just kept on introducing people to Jesus for the rest of his life. He was finally put to death at a ripe old age in Greece. His death came after he befriended Maximilla, the wife of the Roman proconsul Aegeas, and led her to faith in Christ. Aegeas became so enraged over this that he ordered Andrew to offer sacrifices to a heathen god. When Andrew refused, he was severely beaten, tied to a cross, and crucified. That cross, shaped like an X is today called St. Andrew’s cross.  It is said that he lingered for two whole days before dying, but the whole painful time, he preached the Gospel to everyone who came by. Andrew never stopped introducing people to Jesus, even to his last breath.

Every time Andrew is mentioned, he’s bringing someone to Jesus—then Jesus does the rest, and lives get transformed. His single talent seems to have been leveraging his relationships to introduce seekers to Christ. He doesn’t lay the “Four Spiritual Laws” on people; he doesn’t whip out a “Roman Road” tract on them. He just says, “hey, come with me, I’ve got someone I want you to meet.”

That’s the Andrew Factor, which, if you haven’t picked up on it by now, is simply inviting your friends into your spiritual environment—you church, your small group, your ministry team—and letting God do the rest.

“I pray that you may be active in sharing your faith.” —Paul, Philemon 1:6

What If God Took Over?

Employ the Andrew Factor this week: Try bringing someone to church with you on Sunday.

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MYOB

Read John 21

Jesus said to Peter, “If I will that he remain till I come,
what is that to you? You follow Me.”
(John 21:22)

Thoughts… Translation: Mind your own business.

Jesus had been addressing Peter, drilling down to some issues that needed to be resolved in this rough fisherman-turned disciple. This was a difficult conversation that needed to happen before Peter could become the apostle Jesus had in mind. And Peter did what so many of us do: When the spotlight got focused on him a little too brightly, he tried to shed some light on John’s junk. But Jesus kept the focus right where it needed to be: “Peter, quit worrying about what will happen to John and just focus on what I’ve called you to do. If I allow him be alive until I return, that is none of your business. You’ve got enough to worry about just taking care of your own junk let alone John’s. Just take care of you and you’ll be fine!”

Not bad advice! I would save myself a whole lot of wasted energy by just minding my own spiritual business. The time and emotional drain I spend worrying whether someone else is walking with Jesus the way I think they should takes away from the spiritual energy that could be focused on growing me up in Christ.

That is not to say that I shouldn’t express loving concern for another’s progress as a believer. There are appropriately levels of attention that I must bring to bear in challenging them to step it up in their spiritual formation. But I’ll be honest, my challenge is not reaching those appropriate levels, it is exceeding them.

I have a feeling that may be true of you as well. It is a fairly regular occurrence for me as a pastor to have believers come with “concerns” about what another sister has said or how another bother is living or what another local shepherd is doing or the kind of theology a prominent Tele-evangelist is espousing. “Did you know ‘so-and-so’ didn’t even quote Scripture on his last television show?”

My typical response to those concerns: What is that to you? You just worry about you and make sure you are following Jesus!”

You see, those other people will have to answer to God for their lives one day, but so will you. It is very likely that you will not be able to change them one bit by all the energy you spend worrying about their spiritual condition. All you can work on is your own obedience. Beside, if you really want to see them change, the better focus of your energy would be to pray for them. Spend at least as much time bringing them before the Father in prayer as you do thinking and talking about how upsetting they are to you.

Do that and change will happen…but it will be you that changes! So mind our own business today—it is not such a bad thing to do!

Prayer… Lord, there is so much work yet to do in me, so keep me focused on my own spiritual development. Help me to mind my own business, working on the things that I can change and leaving the rest up to you.

One More Thing… “Everything that irritates us about others can lead us to an understanding of ourselves.” —Carl Gustav Jung

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Raw Readiness

Read John 20

Peter therefore went out, and the other disciple, and were going
to the tomb. So they both ran together, and the other disciple
outran Peter and came to the tomb first. And he, stooping
down and looking in, saw the linen cloths he did not
go in. Then Simon Peter came, following him,
lying there; yet and went into the tomb.
(John 20:3-6)

Thoughts… You’ve got to give Peter credit—he was never one to hold back. John outran him to the tomb, but nervously stopped at the entrance to peek in. Not Peter! When he finally arrived, huffing and puffing, Peter pushed past John right into the place where great respect was to be given and strict protocol was demanded.

Of course, the greatest part of this story is that Jesus wasn’t there! He was alive forevermore, the victor over death and sin. If the body of Jesus had still been sealed behind the stone entrance to that tomb when they arrived, nothing else about this story would matter. As the brilliant historian Jaroslav Pelikan put it, “If Christ is risen, nothing else matters. And if Christ is not risen—nothing else matters.”

But Jesus did rise, and that is why the other details of this story matter. Even small, seemingly insignificant details become both interesting and instructive—like Peter pressing in past John to witness the reality of the resurrection first hand.

There was a spiritual pushiness about Peter that endeared him to Jesus. His personal deficiencies are well documented; the entire world knows of them thanks to the Gospel writers. Matthew, Mark, Luke and John pulled no punches in their accounts of this braggadocios, foot-in-mouth, leap-before-you-look, think-before you speak disciple.

Yet is was Peter’s reckless abandon when it came to spiritual expectancy that led Jesus to declare, “Peter, on your kind of faith, I am going to build this small team of disciples into a world-wide force called ‘the church’ that will take back Planet Earth from Satan and return it to its Rightful Owner.” (Matthew 16:18)

Sure, Peter got into trouble more than his fair share, but he was the only disciple to actually get out of the boat to walk on water—albeit a walk that was short-lived and ultimately very wet. He was the first to go into the tomb—Ground Zero of the Christian faith. And he was the one who was called upon to give the first sermon of the Christian era—where two thousand people responded to his altar call.

Jesus loved Peter’s brassy boldness. That was the kind of raw material the Lord could work with. It was certainly raw, but it was ready. It didn’t take much to light a fire with Peter; he was a tinderbox waiting for combustion.

I think we could learn something from Peter’s example. Peter didn’t have it all together in his life, but he was always willing to offer all that he had, raw as it was, and press into Jesus with full expectancy of what could happen when raw readiness met with resurrection reality.

Be Peter-like today in your journey with Jesus: a bit bold, daring to go so far as to be a little spiritually pushy. Chances are, you will encounter some resurrection power. Word has it that it’s still floating around out there.

Prayer… Lord, help me to cast off my natural reserve for a little Peter-like raw readiness today. Enable me to see those opportunities where walking on water is calling me to get out of my boat. Pour some fresh resurrection power into this ready heart.

One More Thing… “Faith takes God without any ‘if’s.’” —D.L. Moody

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I Will Fear No Evil

Read John 19

Jesus answered, “You could have no power at all against
Me unless it had been given you from above.”
(John 19:11)

Thoughts… There is nothing in this world that happens apart from God’s sovereign knowledge and by his sovereign permission.

Jesus understood that as he stood before Pilate, who nervously tried to impress upon our Lord that he held the power to either crucify or free: Then Pilate said to Him, “Are You not speaking to me? Do You not know that I have power to crucify You, and power to release You?” (John 19:10)

That is when Jesus, who had previously held his peace, looked Pilate directly in the eye and informed him in no uncertain terms that even though he might be a high officer of the Roman court, he held no such power—only God did. In the awful light of what Jesus had been through, and what he knew he was about to go through, what an amazing statement of not only an understanding of the sovereign will of God, but complete trust and submission to it.

That was the reason Jesus could so calmly and resolutely traverse the terrible way of the cross. And that is the reason you can walk through the difficulties of your life as well—even if your path takes you through the valley of the shadow of death. As King David said, you don’t have to fear even death because “Thy rod and Thy staff will comfort me.”

You can know what King David knew that our Lord Jesus knew: Because of God’s sovereign control over all the affairs of this universe, and because of his immeasurable love for you, this world is a perfectly safe place for you—even if you are standing before your cross.

Before you begin this day, take a moment to read the Shepherd’s Psalm printed below. In fact, you may want to read it every day this week before you head off into the busyness and challenges of your world:

The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.

He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.

He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.

Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.

Prayer… Lord, my life is in your hands, therefore I will not fear.

One More Thing… “Much that worries us beforehand can afterwards, quite unexpectedly, have a happy and simple solution…Things really are in a better hand than ours.” —Dietrich Bonhoeffer, in a letter from prison

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The Regular Place

Read John 18

Jesus went out with His disciples over the Brook Kidron, where
there was a garden, which He and His disciples entered. And
Judas, who betrayed Him, also knew the place; for Jesus
often met there with His disciples.
(John 18:1-2)

Thoughts… We know that this garden was called Gesthemane. By the other Gospel accounts we also know that when Judas showed up with the guards to arrest him, Jesus was in deep and agonizing prayer. But what may be lost in the greater drama of Judas’ betrayal and Christ passion to follow are the words, “for Jesus often met there with his disciples.”

This was a regular place for Jesus. The disciples were familiar with Jesus’ garden retreat; so was the devil, who had moved Judas to betray the Savior. Jesus had gone there often enough that those who knew him knew where he prayed.

Why does John include bury this small, seemingly insignificant detail here amidst the more obvious story of Jesus’ arrest? Perhaps he wanted us to see what Jesus had made plain to his disciples: That even the Son of God found the time and made the place in his life for regular communion with his Father.

Jesus had purposely included his disciples in his private times with God to leave an example for them. If he, the Son of God, needed quiet time, so did they. So do I—and so do you.

Do you have that regular place? Do the people in your life know where you spend time with God? Does the devil know where to find you? The place itself is not important. The fact that people know that you are regularly in that place is not important. What is important is that you are in that place where you can touch God and God can touch you with his love and grace.

It is said that early African Christians were dedicated and regular in their personal devotion to God. Each one reportedly had a separate spot in the thicket where he would pour out his heart to God. Over time the paths to these places became well worn. As a result, if one of these believers began to neglect prayer, it was soon apparent to the others. They would kindly challenge anyone neglecting their prayer life, “Brother, the grass grows on your path.”

Keep the path to your garden well worn!

Prayer… Lord, it is a pleasure meeting with you in this regular time again today. Not for my credit, but may others be inspired by my regular and persistent devotion to you. May they, too, discover the pure delight of spending time in your presence.

One More Thing… “Prayer is the acid test of devotion.” —Samuel Chadwick

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Stopping Traffic

Read John 17

“I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in
Me through their word; that they all may be one, as You, Father,
are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us,
that the world may believe that You sent Me.
(John 17:20-21)

Thoughts… Jesus spent his last hours on earth praying desperately for the unity of his church. He knew that without unity, the church would fall apart. But with it, Jesus knew that nothing could stop his people from accomplishing the mission of reaching the world with the Gospel.

That is the power of unity. The great preacher Vance Havner once said, “Snowflakes are frail, but if enough of them get together they can stop traffic.” So it is with the church. If we get together in unity in our church, we’ll stop the traffic in our community.

The question is, since we all agree that unity is a powerful and a necessary thing, how do we move from agreement to action? How can we practice unity?

The Apostle Paul gives us some insight in his words to the church in Ephesus:

“As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.” (Ephesians 1:1-3)

Did you notice the word, “effort?” Paul says we are to “make every effort” to attain and maintain unity in our church. Frankly, it takes hard, focused, continual, intentional and strategic effort individually and corporately to keep the church united as one.

The word “effort” means to be diligent, to be zealous, to make haste to do something, in this case, being eager and fully dedicated to maintain the unity of the Spirit. It refers to a holy zeal to guard our Christian unity. Why do we need holy zeal? Because Satan’s number one goal is to divide us. That’s why each Christian needs to take the responsibility for the spiritual unity of his or her church.

James Hewitt tells the story of one woman’s unforgettable experience teaching Vacation Bible School with her primary class. The class was interrupted one day about an hour before dismissal when a new student was brought in.

The little boy had one arm missing, and since the class was almost over, she had no opportunity to learn any of the details about the child’s disability or his state of mind. She was afraid that one of the other children would make a comment and embarrass the poor little guy, and there was no time to warn them to be sensitive.

As the class time came to a close, she began to relax. She asked the class to join her in their usual closing ceremony. “Let’s make our churches,” she said. “Here’s the church and here’s the steeple, open the doors and there’s…”

Then the awful reality of the situation hit her like a ton of bricks. The very thing she’d feared the kids would do, she’d done. As she stood there speechless, the little girl sitting next to the boy reached over with her left hand and placed it up to his right hand and said, “Hey Davey, let’s make the church together”

If you and I give every ounce of effort to keep the unity of the Spirit with other believers, we will make the church together!

Prayer… Father, nothing is more important to you than the unity of your people. May I do my part always to maintain the unity of the spirit through the bonds of peace.

One More Thing… “We must all hang together or assuredly we shall all hang separately” —Benjamin Franklin