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Healthy Unspirituality

Offer God An Accurate View Of Your Utter Helplessness

When God finds people with a right understanding of their own desperate spiritual condition, he has found the stuff upon which he can build. Perhaps that is the most basic and the very best building material—the “solid rocks”, if you will—upon which Jesus can build his church. (Matthew 16:18, NLT) That is what we might call healthy unspirituality—an accurate view of one’s utter helplessness and complete unworthiness before God—and God can use that!

The Journey: Luke 5:8

When Simon Peter realized what had happened, he fell to his knees before Jesus and said, “Oh, Lord, please leave me—I’m too much of a sinner to be around you.”

What was it that Jesus saw in Peter? What attracted the Lord to this coarse fisherman? Peter was crude, sometimes rude, usually inconsistent, and short-tempered. He had the habit of speaking before he thought, and as a result, on more than one occasion, Jesus had to clean up Peter’s mess. Yet there was something in this flawed fisherman that the Lord admired; the basic raw material that he could use to mold Peter from a “little pebble” into a “solid rock” (Matthew 16:17-19)—the take charge kind of guy who would become the first leader-preacher-spokesman for Christ’s church. (Acts 2:14-40)

What did Jesus love about Peter? I think it was Peter’s healthy view of his own unspirituality. Peter was a sinner—and he knew it! He didn’t try to hide his flaws, he didn’t think and act like he was hot stuff, he didn’t treat others like he was better than they were—God’s gift to humankind. No, Peter’s reaction in Luke 5:8 to his first encounter with Jesus says it all: Peter was a fallen, flawed, dirty-rotten, unworthy sinner—and he knew it.

That is called humility, by the way, and it is something that is quite precious to God. In fact, in Peter’s own words, written decades later, we learn that God finds our humility irresistible:

And all of you, serve each other in humility, for “God opposes the proud but favors the humble.”(1 Peter 5:5)

Contrast that with the arrogant Pharisees that Jesus encountered throughout Luke 5. These prideful leaders were upset with Jesus because he was neither giving them their dues nor doing things according to their methods. Most revealing was their reaction to the calling of Matthew and the subsequent dinner party for his tax-collecting ilk at his home:

But the Pharisees and their teachers of religious law complained bitterly to Jesus’ disciples, “Why do you eat and drink with such scum?” (Luke 5:30, NLT)

Jesus’ answer was classic, and it, too, was quite revealing: “Healthy people don’t need a doctor—sick people do. I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners and need to repent.” (Luke 5:31-31, NLT)

In other words, when God finds people with a right understanding of their own desperate spiritual condition, he has found the stuff upon which he can build. Perhaps that is the most basic and the very best building material—the “solid rocks,” if you will—upon which Jesus can build his church. (Matthew 16:18, NLT)

That is what we might call healthy unspirituality—an accurate view of one’s utter helplessness and complete unworthiness before God—and God can use that!

A Simple Prayer To Be More Like Jesus:

God, search me, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.
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Fame-Worthy

Let God’s Grace Spill Out Of You

How did Jesus become famous? He was full of the Spirit’s power and overflowing with God’s grace, that’s how! Maybe you were expecting a different answer, but the best way to attain the kind of fame that really counts is by allowing the Holy Spirit to empower you and then just going about your day exuding the grace of God in every circumstance. And because we live in such a graceless world, when one of God’s servants spreads a little Divine grace around, people will notice them. Get filled with the Spirit to the point that his grace is spilling out of your life and people will begin to talk about you, too!

The Journey: Luke 4:14-15

Then Jesus returned to Galilee, filled with the Holy Spirit’s power. Reports about him spread quickly through the whole region. He taught regularly in their synagogues and was praised by everyone.

People want to be famous these days, but for mostly for the wrong reasons. Celebrity has ascended the throne as the latest false god of our culture, and her worshippers would do just about anything for their fifteen minutes of fame in her glow—sacrificing their dignity, risking life, limb and reputation, even selling their own soul.

If you think I am overstating my case, just watch any one of the fifty or so reality shows to choose from one any given night now and what you will see is a whole bunch of folks vying for fame—for doing absolutely nothing fame-worthy. If that doesn’t do the trick, turn the TV on to a talk show or listen to the callers on talk radio offering their mindless drivel, hoping, I suspect, to get their brief spot in the spotlight. Or just watch the evening news as a reporter brings an on-location piece, and as the cameraman pans the scene you’ll witness at least a half-dozen goofballs pushing their mugs into the camera. Feeding the cravings of these fame-addicts, unfortunately, is a mindless media all too happy to oblige, treating these folks as if what they are doing or what they have to say will actually add something of value to our world.

Now don’t get me wrong; fame itself isn’t bad. In fact, it might surprise you that fame of the human variety is mentioned a great deal in the Bible. Do a word search on your favorite Bible program by typing in “fame” or “famous” and you will see a long list of men and women who achieved renown in Israel. No, fame isn’t all bad, but there is a better way to achieve it. Just notice how Jesus attained it in Luke 4.

The setting for this chapter is the launching of Jesus’ public ministry. He has been baptized in both the Jordan River and in the Holy Spirit (Luke 3:21-22), which was followed by forty days in the wilderness resisting the temptation of the devil (Luke 4:1-13). Now ready to launch his ministry as Israel’s Messiah in the power of the Spirit (Luke 4:14), Jesus went into their synagogues to teach the Word, heal the sick, and deliver those who were oppressed by demonic spirits. And, we are told, wherever he travelled, Jesus utterly amazed the people of Israel:

News about him spread through the whole countryside. (Verse 14)

He taught in their synagogues, and everyone praised him. (Verse 15)

All spoke well of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his lips. (Verse 22)

They were amazed at his teaching, because his message had authority. (Verse 32)

All the people were amazed and said to each other, “What is this teaching? With authority and power he gives orders to evil spirits and they come out!” (Verse 36)

And the news about him spread throughout the surrounding area. (Verse 37)

How did Jesus become famous? He was full of the Spirit’s power and overflowing with God’s grace! That is probably not what you were expecting, but it is the best way to attain the kind of fame that really counts. The right way to fame is by allowing the Holy Spirit to empower you and then just going about your day exuding the grace of God in every circumstance. And because we live in such a graceless world, when one of God’s servants spreads a little Divine grace around, people will notice them.

Get filled with the Spirit to the point that his grace is spilling out of your life and people will begin to talk about you, too!

Whether you get noticed or not, ask the Holy Spirit to fill you today—and then let grace overflow from your life. I’m guessing people will notice, since there won’t be much grace coming from other sources. Most importantly, heaven will notice—and you’ll add to your fame there.

A Simple Prayer To Be More Like Jesus:

God, fill me with your Spirit today. Whether people notice me or not, I pray that they will notice you because of me. If there is any fame that is to come my way, let it be because I made you famous.
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Yes, Master!

Enslave Your Feelings To Your Faith

True discipleship demands that you give your faith the authority to rule your feelings. That is what Jesus is asking of you today. Allow the Spirit of God to foment holy discontent with the emptiness and barrenness of your life. Then take your feelings and enslave them to whatever faith is requiring of you. And simply, purely, quickly and completely obey. That is true discipleship.

The Journey: Luke 4:5-7

When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Now go out where it is deeper, and let down your nets to catch some fish.” Simon replied, “Master, we worked hard all last night and didn’t catch a thing. But if you say so, I’ll let the nets down again.”

From the very moment Jesus first called him to follow, Peter demonstrated what it meant to be a true disciple. In so doing, the response of this very first disciple established the essential benchmarks for would-be disciples in every age.

To begin with, Peter exhibited a fair amount of holy discontent with his current experience. Peter could have rejected Jesus’ command to recast his nets, and we would have understood that response. He had worked hard the previous night. He had already tried what Jesus was suggesting, with no results. He had “been there, done that.”

Yet Peter was ripe for something new; he wasn’t satisfied with the way life had been working out for him. Despite his best efforts, past experience had left him empty; the old way hadn’t worked. So to keep doing the same thing yet expect different results would have been pure insanity. Peter wanted more, so he was willing to let go of the past and risk the adventure of something new in order to follow Jesus.

As Peter’s experience demonstrated, both literally and figuratively, you cannot set sail for new horizons of faith and stay tethered to the shore of what you know. Holy discontent calls you to let go, and set sail!

With holy discontent nudging his soul, Peter quickly subjugated his feelings to his faith. He was tired, his muscles ached from a night of tossing out and dragging in those heavy Galilean fishing nets. He had worked his fingers to the bone picking out the weeds, untangling the tangles and mending the rips that caused by snagging rocks instead of fish. To make it even worse, there was nothing to show for all that effort. Peter just wanted to get to the local pub, unwind with his buddies before heading home to crash for the night, catch a few winks and then get up early the next morning to go through the same routine yet again.

Peter had neither the physical nor emotional strength for another fishing expedition. Yet there was just something about this amazing man named Jesus who had the audacity to asked Peter to do what he had already been doing that caused his faith to rise. In that moment, Peter made a life-altering decision to grab his “want-er by his will-er” and do what Jesus had commanded.

True discipleship demands that you give your faith the authority to rule your feelings.

That’s what Peter did. He simply obeyed. That’s the bottom line of authentic discipleship. Peter was willing to take Jesus at his word and just do it. Without argument or delay, he took action, and the result was a miraculous catch. Suddenly where there had been emptiness and barrenness, there was fullness and fruitfulness—the reward of obedience.

That is what Jesus is asking of us today. We must allow the Spirit of God to foment a holy discontent with the emptiness and barrenness of our lives. We must take our feelings and enslave them to whatever faith is requiring of us. And then we must simply, purely, quickly and completely obey. That is true discipleship.

If we will just do that, a miraculous provision of holy contentment will be ours!

A Simple Prayer To Be More Like Jesus:

God, whatever you ask me to do, I will do it!.
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Who Ya Gonna Worship?

What You Worship Is What You Will Serve

When Satan tempted Jesus to worship him in exchange for all the kingdoms of the world, Jesus blunted the offer with, “Worship only the Lord your God and serve only him.” Interestingly, Satan had said nothing about “serving”, but Jesus knew that at the heart of all temptation is the issue of worship. He also knew that what you worship is what you will serve. Whatever Satan gets you to worship, you will be obligated to serve.

The Journey: Luke 4:5-7

Then devil took him up and revealed to him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. “I will give you the glory of these kingdoms and authority over them,” the devil said, “because they are mine to give to anyone I please. I will give it all to you if you will worship me.”

In these opening verses of Luke 4, Jesus faces an all-out assault from Satan, who throws three different temptations at the Lord. In each temptation, Satan tries to entice Jesus to find a shortcut to fulfilling the will of God—which is the usual pattern the Enemy employs in tempting you and me as well. With each temptation, however, Jesus countered Satan with an accurate understanding and correct application of the Word of God—a pattern we that we, too, must employ in order to have victory over temptation.

Especially revealing is how Jesus countered Satan in the second temptation, which was to worship Satan in exchange for all the kingdoms of the world. Here Jesus quotes Deuteronomy 6:13, which says, “Worship only the Lord your God and serve only him.”

Interestingly, Satan had said nothing about “serving”, but Jesus knew that at the heart of all temptation is the issue of worship, and that what you worship is what you will serve. Whatever Satan gets you to worship, you will be obligated to serve—and as Jesus famously said elsewhere, you cannot serve two masters. (Matthew 6:24)

If you put your needs and wants ahead of God’s provision (the first temptation—Luke 4:2-3), you will worship at the throne of self-reliance. If you put your plans ahead God’s agenda (the second temptation—Luke 4:5-7), you will worship at the throne of self-actualization. If you skew God’s Word to justify your behavior (the third temptation—Luke 4:9-11), you will worship at the throne of self-indulgence. When you worship anything or anyone other than the Lord your God, you will find yourself serving self, which is simply serving Satan’s purposes in disguise.

What is it that you are worshiping and serving right now? Wherever your dependencies and loyalties are answers that question. Give that some honest thought!

If you are like me, you probably need to get some help with your dependencies and loyalties about now. But the good news is that you have Someone who can help you in your temptations. Hebrews 2:18 reminds us, “Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.” And Hebrews 4:16 goes on to say, “So let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”

R.A. Torrey said, “The reason why many fail in battle is because they wait until the hour of battle. The reason why others succeed is because they have gained their victory on their knees long before the battle came … Anticipate your battles; fight them on your knees before temptation comes, and you will always have victory.”

How about we go right away into God’s presence and get some much-needed help!

A Simple Prayer To Be More Like Jesus:

God, I am in a fierce struggle with temptation, but I want to serve only you. I don’t want my desires, the world’s pull, or the false promises of the Enemy to sidetrack me from your calling upon my life. So help me, strengthen me, steer me away from temptation and deliver me from the Evil One.
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Baptism By Fire

Spirit Baptism Is Not Just Something To Read About – It’s Something To Be Experienced

Despite all the misgivings and discomfort western Christianity has about Spirit baptism, we cannot simply divorce this critical dimension of Christ’s ministry as baptizer with the Spirit and fire in scripture from our lives today. To ignore his work in us is, to paraphrase D.L. Moody, like using a sundial by moonlight. Jesus is still the baptizer with the Spirit, who is still the one who empowers believers to speak the words and do the works of Jesus in the world today. And Paul’s imperative nearly 2,000 years ago is still relevant for us today: “Be filled with the Spirit!”

The Journey: Luke 3:16

John answered their questions by saying, “I baptize you with water; but someone is coming soon who is greater than I am—so much greater that I’m not even worthy to be his slave and untie the straps of his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.”

John the Baptist launched his ministry as the forerunner to the Messiah with preaching the likes of which people had never heard before. His messages were so confrontational and penetrating that the crowds were convicted to the core of their being. People from every dimension of Jewish society began to repent and return to the God of Israel. Israel was in the midst of a great revival.

This spiritual awakening was so powerful that people began to wonder if John himself was the long-awaited Messiah. But John quickly put those rumors to rest by letting them know that his ministry was simply to lead people to repentance in preparation for the Messiah. It would be the Messiah’s ministry that would empower them with the very Spirit of God.

The Message version of Luke’s account offers this rendition:

I’m baptizing you here in the river. The main character in this drama, to whom I’m a mere stagehand, will ignite the kingdom life, a fire, the Holy Spirit within you, changing you from the inside out. He’s going to clean house—make a clean sweep of your lives. He’ll place everything true in its proper place before God; everything false he’ll put out with the trash to be burned.

The ministry of the Messiah was not simply to announce and launch the Kingdom of God on Planet Earth, it was to so immerse his followers in the Holy Spirit that they themselves would embody the words and carry out the works of Jesus, and as King’s agents, extend his Kingdom “to the uttermost parts of the earth.” (Acts 1:8)

Now the real question for those of us reading these words today is this: Is the baptism with the Holy Spirit and fire something you just read about historically, or is it an experience that is personal and fresh in your life today?

The truth is, despite all the misgivings and discomfort modern Christians may have about this baptism with the Holy Spirit, we cannot simply erase this important dimension of Christ’s ministry from the pages of Scripture. To paraphrase D.L. Moody, to remove the work of the Holy Spirit from the Bible is like using a sundial by moonlight.

Jesus is still the baptizer with the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is still the one who empowers believers to do words and works of Jesus.

And Paul’s question to the Ephesians in Acts 19:2 is as critically important for you today as it was for them nearly 2,000 years ago: “Have you received the Holy Ghost since you believed?”

If you haven’t, perhaps you should spend some time with the Great Baptizer and ask him for the Holy Spirit and fire. Jesus himself has said in John 14:16-17 and Luke 11:13,

I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be
with you forever—the Spirit of truth … For everyone who asks
receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks,
the door will be opened…how much more will your
Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit
to those who ask him!

Now a good time to ask!

A Simple Prayer To Be More Like Jesus:

God, give me a fresh baptism of the Spirit and fire. Cleanse and empower me so I can embody the words and carry out the works of my Savior in the part of the world where you have placed me.
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The Proof Is In The Pudding

Real Repentance Requires Radical Realignment

Repentance is not simply an expression of regret over a wrong and a request to be forgiven for the offense; it is that, but it is more. Repentance is a change of direction that involves our heart (godly sorrow), our words (confession) and especially our behavior (righteous living). Repentance is not so much a noun, it is a verb — and action word — and it is the only pathway to God’s great grace.

The Journey: Luke 3:7-8

When the crowds came to John for baptism, he said, “You brood of snakes! Who warned you to flee God’s coming wrath? Prove by the way you live that you have repented of your sins and turned to God.”

One thing about John the Baptist—he was certainly no dispenser of cheap grace. Nor was he too concerned with being seeker sensitive. He was a preacher of repentance, and when people came looking for forgiveness of their sins, John forced them to show proof of their spiritual sincerity. Mr. Warm-and-Fuzzy, that John guy!

Actually, as tough as he was, John was doing people a huge favor. That’s because, no matter how you sliced it, the catalyst for reconciliation with God was authentic repentance. It still is! You cannot get right with God, be in a loving relationship with him, and live under his blessing without first having come to grips with your sinfulness through genuine, Biblical repentance. That’s why John made such a big deal about it.

Repentance is not simply an expression of regret over a wrong and a request to be forgiven for the offense; it is that, but it is more. Repentance is a change of direction that involves our heart (godly sorrow), our words (confession) and especially our behavior (righteous living). Repentance is not so much a noun, it is a verb—and action word, and the action it requires is three-fold:

First, in our understanding, it involves the knowledge of our sin that leads to a change of mind. Not a wishy-washy, double-mindedness, but a rational intellectual growth that our previous mindset was dead wrong and it must be replaced with new and right thinking. In other words, the first step in true repentance involves rational awareness of wrongdoing and recognition that spiritual cleansing and behavioral change is required.

Second, true repentance involves our emotions. We must feel what our mind recognizes. We must feel the pain, disappointment and sorrow of offending God, and not just sorrow for getting caught. The fear of being exposed and the fear of punishment are motivations that only lead to inauthentic repentance—which is no repentance at all.

And third, true repentance involves appropriate action that springs from what our mind recognizes and what our heart feels. In fact, the word repentance — it is metanoia in the original Greek text of the new Testament—means a change of course; literally a 180-degree shift in our thinking and in our behavior. There is nothing like changed and consistent behavior to powerfully communicate authentic repentance before God. Or, as John would say, when it comes to true repentance, the proof is in the pudding:

Prove by the way you live that you have repented of your sins and turned to God.

Remember, you cannot earn your salvation, but you are certainly called to give effort to it!)

A Simple Prayer To Be More Like Jesus:

God, give me a spirit of true repentance. Help me to realize how much my sin offends your holiness, give me to courage to change, and take me to a deeper appreciation for just how great your grace truly is to cover even my greatest sin
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The Spirit of Simeon

How Long Are You Willing To Wait On God?

If you simply look at the lives of those whom the Bible presents as examples of God-honoring faith, you will notice that one of the outstanding characteristics of their lives was their willingness to wait on God for the fulfillment of his promises. They prayed – and didn’t give up. They obeyed – and didn’t grow weary. The expected – and didn’t lose heart. Which begs the question: How long are you willing to wait for the fulfillment of God’s promises in your life? Biblical waiting – your willingness to pray, expect, trust, obey, and in general, live a God-honoring life in the meantime – will in the end be the very thing that determines the strength of your faith, which is the greatest treasure you can offer to God.

The Journey: Luke 2:28-29

Simeon took the infant Jesus in his arms and praised God, saying: “Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, you may now dismiss your servant in peace.”

I can just imagine this old, weathered prophet, Simeon, moved by the Holy Spirit, running up to Mary and grabbing the baby Jesus from her arms. Perhaps Mary and Joseph were a bit stunned; maybe they were about to call for the temple guard to arrest this crazy old man, but before they could react, Simeon burst forth in a loud prophetic praise to God,

“…dismiss your servant in peace. For my eyes have seen your salvation…”

Then as suddenly as he took the baby, Simeon gently laid Jesus back into Mary’s arms. He pronounced a blessing upon the young parents, uttered a few esoteric words, then turned and made his way through the curious onlookers. As Simeon walked away, he shouted his praises to God, and as suddenly as he had appeared, he was gone from the temple—and from any further mention in the Bible.

Not much is known about Simeon. Christian tradition suggests that he was very old—over 100 years of age. We don’t know for sure, but because of his eagerness to die, that would be a logical assumption. We’re told in Luke 2:25 that he was looking for the “consolation of Israel”—a reference to the messianic hope of the Jewish nation. Then as we dig a little deeper into this passage, Luke 2:25-35, we actually begin to learn a great deal more about this otherwise obscure man:

  1. We learn that he was a man who was dedicated to the ways of God — “devout and righteous”. (Luke 2:25) Simeon had a consuming passion for God.
  2. We also discover that he was a man who was led by the Spirit of God — “The Holy Spirit was upon him… revealed to him by the Holy Spirit… Moved by the Spirit.” (Luke 2:25-27) Simeon had a unique connection to God.
  3. We likewise find that he was a man who was obedient to the will of God — “He was waiting for the consolation of Israel. It had been revealed to him that he would see it in his lifetime.” (Luke 2:25) Simeon had an unbending dedication to the plan of God.
  4. We then see he was a man who was committed to speaking the truth of God — “This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many…And a sword will pierce your own soul too.” (Luke 2:34-35) Simeon had an unwavering commitment to speaking the prophetic Word of God.

Now this might seem like nothing more than otherwise unimportant and uninteresting biographical information on this old prophet, but there is something instructive here for you and me. You see, Simeon’s story has been included in Holy Scripture to remind us that God is still looking for people with the spirit of Simeon—people who are equally dedicated to the ways of God, who have learned to be led by the Spirit of God, who are obedient to the will of God, who will speak the Word of God, and who are willing to wait unwaveringly on God.

If you simply look at the lives of those whom the Bible presents as examples of God-honoring faith, you will notice that one of the outstanding characteristics of their lives was their willingness to wait on God for the fulfillment of his promises. They prayed – and didn’t give up. They obeyed – and didn’t grow weary. The expected – and didn’t lose heart. Which begs the question: How long are you willing to wait for the fulfillment of God’s promises in your life? Biblical waiting – your willingness to pray, expect, trust, obey, and in general, live a God-honoring life in the meantime – will in the end be the very thing that determines the strength of your faith, which is the greatest treasure you can offer to God.

Those are the kind of people for whom God is looking, through whom God will speak and to whom God will fulfill his promises.

Will you be that person?

A Simple Prayer To Be More Like Jesus:

God, give me the spirit of Simeon. Grant me the heart to seek, the passion to obey, the courage to speak, the patience to wait.