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Weekend Meditation: Doubts

Read: Luke 7-8

John called for two of his disciples, and he sent them to the Lord to ask him, “Are you the Messiah we’ve been expecting, or should we keep looking for someone else?” (Luke 7:18-19)

When the New Testament talks about doubt, it primarily focuses on believers, not unbelievers. The presupposition is, you have to believe something before you can doubt it; you have to be committed to it before you begin to question it.

John the Baptist, last of the Old Testament prophets, forerunner to the Messiah, cousin of Jesus, came to a place where he had some serious doubts about the Lord.  John had done his job by boldly announcing the arrival of the long-awaited Messiah, but for all his faithfulness, he ended up in prison, condemned to death, and naturally began to wonder if he had got it all wrong about Jesus.

John had doubts, and in a sense, that was okay. In fact, Jesus says, “I tell you, of all who have ever lived, none is greater than John.” (Luke 7:28, NLT)  So how is it that John can doubt and still be a great believer, especially since Scripture tells us not to doubt? It is because John’s doubt wasn’t from of unbelief; it was from belief. His question implied that he believed but his circumstances had caused some confusion.  So he asked, “I believe you’re the Messiah; am I wrong to believe that?” The very fact that he asked Jesus indicates that he had not lost his faith; it was still stirring.

Having doubt visit you is not the worst thing in the world. The visitation of doubt is not sin; it becomes sin when you allow it to take up residence in your life and erode your trust in God. If the greatest believer that ever lived up to that time had doubts, you’re going to have doubts too, and you’ll be okay. Doubts in the believer ought not to be, but they are; sometimes they are the stirrings of a lively faith.

Among the many Bible references on doubt, one in Luke 12:29 is especially instructive.  In the King James Version it says, “Seek not what you will eat or drink, neither be of doubtful mind.” The Greek word for doubtful is interesting; it is meteorizo. (We get our word meteor from it.) Meteorizo means, “to be suspended in midair.” Jesus was saying, “Don’t get hung up on this!” In other words, keep yourself firmly planted in what you know; keep coming back to what you believe.

Like John, your expectations of Jesus aren’t always going to be met—and doubt will pay you a visit. Like John, you are going to be surprised by difficult and unexpected circumstances—and doubt will come calling. Like John, you live with an incomplete revelation of God’s ways and God’s plan—and doubt will show up once in a while.

So what should you do when doubts comes knocking? Jesus says,

“Go back to John and tell him what you have seen and heard—the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised to life, and the Good News is being preached to the poor.” (Luke 7:22, NLT)

In other words, there are two remedies for doubt: One, you go back to what has been heard. You plant yourself firmly in the unassailable witness of the Word of God. Two, you go back to what has been seen. You plant yourself firmly in the witness of the faithful. The words and works of Jesus, recorded and verified, are the answer to your doubt.

Then Jesus added one more thing,

“And blessed is he who is not offended because of Me.” (Luke 7:23, NKJV)

When your Messiah doesn’t meet expectations—and there will be times he won’t—don’t get offended! Even though your circumstances may seem like Jesus is not in charge, just remember: He is, and he never makes mistakes.

But neither does he always explain himself, so keep your uneasiness in check.

“Bless your uneasiness as a sign that there is still life in you.” ~Dag Hammarskjald

What If God Took Over?

Are you experiencing any doubts about Jesus?  Go back to what the Word of God says, lean into the witness of those did not waver in their faith throughout history, and then simply offer God the greatest gift you could ever give—your trust!

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Newsflash: Jesus To Return On May 21

“For you know quite well that the day of the Lord’s return will come unexpectedly, like a thief in the night.”
(I Thessalonians 5:2)

This is Friday, May 20, 2011, and according to radio host Harold Camping, Jesus is coming back this Saturday.  Apparently, he and his friends has discovered “that WE CAN KNOW from the Bible alone that the date of the rapture of believers will take place on May 21, 2011 and that God will destroy this world on October 21, 2011.”

Maybe—maybe not.  I personally think Harold is a misguided soul, but one thing I do know is that Jesus is coming someday—which I think, and hope, will be very soon.  Another thing I know is that we ought to be living like he is coming back tomorrow.  Scripture makes it pretty clear that we ought to be living with our bags packed.

The Apostle Paul talks quite a lot about the return of Christ in both of his Thessalonian letters. He concludes the first letter by reminding his readers that this great event will happen when people least expect it—“like a thief in the night.” That means, as believers, we must therefore live each and every moment expecting the unexpected. We are to live with our bags packed, so to speak, ready to leave for our true home—heaven—at a moment’s notice.

What does it mean to live in such a way? Paul gives a checklist of sorts in the final verses of this letter. Perhaps you’ve used a checklist to make sure you have the right things packed in your suitcase before going on an extended trip. As you prepare for this journey home—which by the way, will be an extended trip with no return—here is your spiritual checklist to help you be ready:

Be alert:  I Thessalonians 5:6—be on the lookout; remain on guard as to Christ’s return and the evil conditions of the time in which it will take place.

Be self-controlled: I Thessalonians 5:6 & 8—keep your life, your passions, your desires and fleshly drives in check.

Be armed: I Thessalonians 5:8—put on the armor of faith (conviction), love (self-sacrifice) and hope (the assurance of your salvation).

Be edifying: I Thessalonians 5:11—instead of finding flaws in others, build them up and help them to be ready for Christ’s return.

Be respectful: I Thessalonians 5:12-13—treat your spiritual leaders—ministers and lay leaders—with high regard and deep love. Give them respect not because of their position, educational achievements or popularity, but because of the nature of their work.

Be peaceful: I Thessalonians 5:13—seek peace actively, not passively, with fellow believers.

Be involved: I Thessalonians 5:14-15—get involved with others by warning the idle, motivating the timid, helping the weak, being patient with everyone, and exhibiting kindness rather than retaliation toward those who’ve hurt you.

Be joyful: I Thessalonians 5:16—maintain an attitude of joy no matter what.

Be prayerful: I Thessalonians 5:17—stay in God’s presence continually.

Be thankful: I Thessalonians 5:18—not only in good times, but even in bad times exhibit an attitude of gratitude.

Be sensitive: I Thessalonians 5:19-20—develop a sensitivity and an appreciation for the work of the Holy Spirit in the body of Christ; especially as it relates to prophecy.

Be discerning: I Thessalonians 5:21—be knowledgeable of the Bible so that everything can be tested against it.

Be diligent: Thessalonians 5:21—cling to the truth of God’s Word, being quick to obey it.

Be pure: I Thessalonians 5:22—moral purity should continually characterize your life.

Be surrendered: I Thessalonians 5:23-24—be wholly dependent on God and cooperative with the Holy Spirit to bring about sanctification and blamelessness in your life—body, soul and spirit.

Be interceding: I Thessalonians 5:25—regularly intercede for others before the throne of God.

Be friendly: I Thessalonians 5:26—love and affection must be demonstrative, and an outward expression of your inner affection for fellow believers.

Be unselfish: I Thessalonians 5:27—take responsibility to share God’s truth with other believers.

Be gracious: I Thessalonians 5: 28—live in the light and reality of God’s grace, personally, relationally and continually.

Are you ready to go, or do you need to do some more packing? Jesus may come today, so make sure you’re ready for the journey.  And if he comes tomorrow, I’ll see you in a pretty cool place.  If he doesn’t, then I’ll see you in another pretty cool place—church this Sunday!

Maranatha!

“Our deepest calling is not to grow in our knowledge of God. It is to make disciples. Our knowledge will grow—the Holy Spirit, Jesus promised, will guide us into all truth. But that’s not our calling, it is His. Our calling is to prepare the world for Christ’s return. The world is not ready yet. And so, we go about introducing a dying world to the Savior of Life. Anything we do toward our own growth must be toward that end.” ~Jeffery Bryant

 

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Love Your Enemies! Really?

Read: Luke 6

“Love your enemies! Do good to them. Lend to them without expecting to be repaid. Then your reward from heaven will be very great, and you will truly be acting as children of the Most High, for he is kind to those who are unthankful and wicked. You must be compassionate, just as your Father is compassionate.” (Luke 6:35-36, NLT)

Quite often, Jesus’ commands aren’t the kind that can be automatically or easily carried out; they require careful thought and great exertion of the will in applying them. So it is with this case, loving our enemies. For some people, this command is just humanly impossible, so it gets ignored altogether. That is too bad!   For others, they ignorantly try to apply Jesus’ words well beyond what he intended.  That is also too bad.

Christ’s followers would do well to accurately think through this law of love and then strategically live it out in their relationships.  If they did—on both accounts—the world would be a much different and better place.

There were four different Greek words for “love” that the Gospel writer Luke could have chosen to capture Jesus’ words regarding the Christian’s response to his enemies.  Luke didn’t choose storge—which meant “family love”; he didn’t choose eros—which meant the “passionate love of irresistible longing”; he didn’t chose philos—which was the warmest Greek word describing love of “the most tender affection”. The word used here for “love” was agape.  That word referred to an “unconquerable, benevolent, invincible, reconciling kindness” kind of love.

Now in the case of loving an enemy, that kind of love is not something of the heart; it requires mainly something of the will—something we will likely have to will ourselves into. Agape with your enemy is, in fact, a victory over that which comes instinctively to us by nature: anger, resentment and retribution toward hurtful people.

Agape love belongs to the true disciple of Jesus. It is the one and only weapon in the disciple’s arsenal able to conquer all. Someone has rightly said, “It belongs to the children of God to receive blows rather than to inflict them. The [loving] Christian is the anvil that has worn out many hammers.” The law of agape love, fully embraced and obediently lived out, is that powerful!

Now people have tried to apply this teaching to promote pacifism in international relationships. That’s a nice try—and not a bad idea whenever possible. But foremost, the enemy Jesus has in mind is the one we meet in our everyday life: A spouse, a sibling, a classmate, a co-worker or a neighbor—those who have hurt our feelings, frustrated our desires, misunderstood our intentions, misrepresented our words or demeaned our character. You see, it is much easier to declare peace between nations than it is to live a life where we never allow bitterness, anger and retribution to invade our personal relationships.

Jesus is saying that when we practice this law of love on a personal basis, we make breaking the cycle of bitterness and retribution possible where it really counts: In the real world of our daily lives.  Moreover, in so doing, we actually catalyze another law, the law of reconciliation.

Reconciliation!  That is at the heart of why Jesus came to earth—to reconcile God and sinners, and to reconcile sinners with one another. Think of all the fractured relationships that would be reconciled if we would choose to obey the law of love.

Not only that, but in living out this law of love, we become like God—something that truly honors and pleases the heart of our Father. That’s what Jesus said: “You will truly be acting as children of the Most High, for he is kind to those who are unthankful and wicked.” (Luke 6:35, NLT)

That is a pretty compelling reason for choosing to express this unconquerable, benevolent, kind, invincible, reconciling agape love—especially toward people who least deserve it. It is who God is, it is what God does, it is when we are most like God, and it is what his Son asked us to do:

“You must be compassionate, just as your Father is compassionate.” (Luke 6:36, NLT)

So what’s stopping you?

“Love your enemies just in case your friends turn out to be your enemy.”

What If God Took Over?

To what enemy do you need to extend unconquerable, benevolent, invincible, reconciling kindness?  Go do it! It’s what your Father would do—and you’ve got his DNA.

 

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Healthy Unspirituality

Read: Luke 5

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.” (Luke 5:8, NLT)

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 his 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.’” (I 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!

“If pride turned some of the angels into demons, then humility can doubtless make angels out of demons.” ~John Climacus

What If God Took Over?

Pray this simple prayer of humility from Psalm 139:23-24, if you dare: “Search me, God, 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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Who Ya Gonna Worship?

Read: Luke 4

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.” (Luke 4:5-7, NLT)

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 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 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.”

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

“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.” ~R.A. Torrey

What If God Took Over?

Arnold Glasow said, “Temptation usually comes in through a door that has deliberately been left open.” What doors do you need to close?

 

 

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The Proof Is In The Pudding

Read: Luke 3

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.” (Luke 3:7-8, NLT)

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, as many think. 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—an 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 must be replaced by 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 says, 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.”

What If God Took Over?

Re-read Luke 3:10-14.  Several different groups of people came to John asking what they must do to demonstrate genuine repentance.  What action step did John assign to each group?  What action step do you need to take to demonstrate repentance before God?  (Remember, you cannot earn your salvation, but you are certainly called to give effort to it!)

 

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The Spirit of Simeon

Read: Luke 2

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. ” (Luke 2:28-29, NLT)

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:

One, 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.

Two, 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.

Three, 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.

Four, 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 and who will speak the Word of 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?

“Incarnation is really an introduction to redemption. Christ’s cradle is in reality the opening act to the drama of the cross.”

What If God Took Over?

Simeon faithfully waited his entire life for the fulfillment of God’s promise. How long are you willing to wait?  Your willingness to trust and obey will be the very thing that determines the greatness of your faith.