and a third of the sea became blood.
Hmmmmmm - very interesting!
Wednesday, June 02, 2010
A Great Mountain Burning with Fire
Revelation 8:8 - The second angel blew his trumpet, and something like a great mountain, burning with fire, was thrown into the sea,
and a third of the sea became blood.
Hmmmmmm - very interesting!
and a third of the sea became blood.
Hmmmmmm - very interesting!
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Peter Did NOT Swim Ahead, part 2
I've been looking at John 21 in an attempt to understand what the scene was like when the disciples, while on a fishing trip, encountered Jesus after His resurrection. Many preachers teach that upon recognizing Jesus on the shore, Peter jumped in the water and either swam or waded ahead to be the first to greet Jesus. In part 1, I said that John's attention to detail and his language don't allow for Peter to have done that. John didn't say that anyone arrived first (as he did in the account of he and Peter going to the empty tomb). He also used a very specific term to describe Peter's response to Jesus' request, "Bring Me some fish." John tells us that Peter "went up" to get the fish. Spacially, when someone is standing on the bank (as Peter would have been if he had indeed arrived on the shore first), and they move toward the water, they always "go down" to the boat or water. So the speculation that Peter swam ahead and was standing on the bank with Jesus just doesn't make sense.
Well, if Peter didn't swim ahead, what exactly was he doing - and why did he do that? I'm glad you asked that question. You DID ask didn't you? The answer is wrapped up in the scene that follows this breakfast by the lake - the encounter between Jesus and Peter. You remember this scene - after breakfast, Jesus asks Peter three times, "Peter, do you love me?" After Peter's response each time, Jesus commanded him, "Tend my sheep" or "Feed my lambs." (John 21:15-17) It is important to remember that Peter had denied knowing Jesus three times during Jesus' trial prior to being crucified. It is also important to remember that following his denial, Peter "wept bitterly." (Matthew 26:75; Mark 14:72; Luke 22:62) He was totally devastated! He had denied the person he had promised to defend to the death. It's interesting that three times Peter denied knowing Jesus, and three times Jesus gave him the opportunity to express his love for Him. HOWEVER, that opportunity to express love came after the fishing and breakfast incident.
On a personal level, have you ever done something for which you were ashamed? I'm not even talking about sin - I'm simply talking about some embarrassing action toward a friend. After that embarrassing moment, didn't you want to avoid that person? Even though you knew the person would be gracious and kind and forgiving, there was something inside that made you want to avoid contact with them. Well imagine how you would feel if you had bragged that you would stand firm when everyone else was falling away; then when your friend needed you the most you denied even knowing him. Then, add to that the nagging thought that if you had just kept your word, your friend might not have had to suffer and die... Peter was probably blaming himself for Jesus' suffering and death! The last thing he would want to do is swim ahead and see Jesus face to face. He was overcome with the shame of failure!
That explains why he grabbed his outer garment and jumped into the water. He was trying to remove any evidence that he had been on the boat. He probably jumped into the water, placing the boat and the net full of fish between himself and Jesus, just hoping that Jesus wouldn't know that Peter was even there. Then Peter hung out in the water while the other disciples went on shore and had fellowship with Jesus. Perhaps that is why we know how many fish were in the net - Peter was busy counting them while he was hanging out in the water! I realize that is speculation - but more plausible than saying Peter swam ahead.
Jesus, trying to draw Peter out of hiding, asked for some fish (even though he already had fish cooking!). Knowing Peter's desire/need to work his way back into Jesus' favor, Jesus gave him a task to do. Now that task didn't have anything to do with Peter getting back into good standing with Jesus. He was already in good standing with Jesus. It was just Jesus' way of getting Peter to come out of hiding. It's an interesting part of fallen human nature - we somehow think we need to and even CAN earn God's favor. We don't understand God's grace and mercy. We think that some small activity on our part will make up for our sinfulness. All Jesus asks us to do is affirm our love for Him. He has already affirmed and demonstrated His love for us - in that "while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." (Romans 5:8)
So there we have it. Peter saw Jesus on the shore. He was filled with shame at having denied his friend. He was filled with shame because if he had not denied Jesus, Jesus might not have had to suffer and die. He was filled with shame and so he grabbed his outer garment and jumped into the water to hide. Jesus knew he was there and asked for a fish (even though he already had fish cooking) in order to draw Peter from his hiding place. After he got him out of hiding, Jesus gave Peter the opportunity to affirm his love - once for every time he had denied knowing Jesus. He does the same for us - He draws us out of hiding and gives us opportunity to affirm our love for him.
Well, if Peter didn't swim ahead, what exactly was he doing - and why did he do that? I'm glad you asked that question. You DID ask didn't you? The answer is wrapped up in the scene that follows this breakfast by the lake - the encounter between Jesus and Peter. You remember this scene - after breakfast, Jesus asks Peter three times, "Peter, do you love me?" After Peter's response each time, Jesus commanded him, "Tend my sheep" or "Feed my lambs." (John 21:15-17) It is important to remember that Peter had denied knowing Jesus three times during Jesus' trial prior to being crucified. It is also important to remember that following his denial, Peter "wept bitterly." (Matthew 26:75; Mark 14:72; Luke 22:62) He was totally devastated! He had denied the person he had promised to defend to the death. It's interesting that three times Peter denied knowing Jesus, and three times Jesus gave him the opportunity to express his love for Him. HOWEVER, that opportunity to express love came after the fishing and breakfast incident.
On a personal level, have you ever done something for which you were ashamed? I'm not even talking about sin - I'm simply talking about some embarrassing action toward a friend. After that embarrassing moment, didn't you want to avoid that person? Even though you knew the person would be gracious and kind and forgiving, there was something inside that made you want to avoid contact with them. Well imagine how you would feel if you had bragged that you would stand firm when everyone else was falling away; then when your friend needed you the most you denied even knowing him. Then, add to that the nagging thought that if you had just kept your word, your friend might not have had to suffer and die... Peter was probably blaming himself for Jesus' suffering and death! The last thing he would want to do is swim ahead and see Jesus face to face. He was overcome with the shame of failure!
That explains why he grabbed his outer garment and jumped into the water. He was trying to remove any evidence that he had been on the boat. He probably jumped into the water, placing the boat and the net full of fish between himself and Jesus, just hoping that Jesus wouldn't know that Peter was even there. Then Peter hung out in the water while the other disciples went on shore and had fellowship with Jesus. Perhaps that is why we know how many fish were in the net - Peter was busy counting them while he was hanging out in the water! I realize that is speculation - but more plausible than saying Peter swam ahead.
Jesus, trying to draw Peter out of hiding, asked for some fish (even though he already had fish cooking!). Knowing Peter's desire/need to work his way back into Jesus' favor, Jesus gave him a task to do. Now that task didn't have anything to do with Peter getting back into good standing with Jesus. He was already in good standing with Jesus. It was just Jesus' way of getting Peter to come out of hiding. It's an interesting part of fallen human nature - we somehow think we need to and even CAN earn God's favor. We don't understand God's grace and mercy. We think that some small activity on our part will make up for our sinfulness. All Jesus asks us to do is affirm our love for Him. He has already affirmed and demonstrated His love for us - in that "while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." (Romans 5:8)
So there we have it. Peter saw Jesus on the shore. He was filled with shame at having denied his friend. He was filled with shame because if he had not denied Jesus, Jesus might not have had to suffer and die. He was filled with shame and so he grabbed his outer garment and jumped into the water to hide. Jesus knew he was there and asked for a fish (even though he already had fish cooking) in order to draw Peter from his hiding place. After he got him out of hiding, Jesus gave Peter the opportunity to affirm his love - once for every time he had denied knowing Jesus. He does the same for us - He draws us out of hiding and gives us opportunity to affirm our love for him.
Monday, May 24, 2010
Peter Did NOT Swim Ahead
Why is it that preachers feel the need to add things that are not there to scripture, and ignore things that are there? I use the story of Peter encountering Jesus on the Sea of Galilee following Jesus' resurrection as an exammple. The story is found in the 21st chapter of John's Gospel. Peter decided that he wanted to go fishing. The other disciples joined him. As they were casting their nets - and not being successful in their endeavors - the resurrected Jesus showed up on the shore and asked them if they were catching anything. Without recognizing him, they replied that they were catching nothing. He said to them, "Cast your net on the right hand side of the boat and you will find a catch." They did and so many fish filled their net that they were unable to haul it in. In that instant, John (identified as "the disciple whom Jesus loved") recognized the land-bound stranger as Jesus. Here is where things get interesting and preachers/teachers begin to add things to the text and ignore things that are in the text.
When Peter heard it was Jesus, he grabbed "his outer garment (for he was stripped for work), and threw himself into the sea." (21:7) The thing that is ALWAYS added to this text are the words, "and he swam ahead." Why do people add that? It isn't in the text and it doesn't even make sense! And the thing they always leave out is the detail of him grabbing his outer garment. Logically, if Peter were going to swim ahead, he wouldn't grab his outer garment. That big heavy robe-like garment would simply slow him down and might even put him in danger of drowning! Some commentators say that the boat was in shallow water - so shallow, in fact, that Peter simply waded to shore. Again, people have added that concept and NOTHING in the text indicates that Peter got to the shore first or even attempted to get to the shore first.
One of the major principles of interpreting scripture is that wherever possible, scripture should be used to interpret itself. In this case, we can look at John's own writing. In chapter 20, in the account of the resurrection, John points out the he and Peter were running together toward the empty tomb, and that John arrived at the tomb first (20:4). John then, reveals that even though he had arrived first, Peter was the first to enter the tomb (20:6). So John has a habit of describing how events unfolded and in this instance, he made no effort at all to let his readers know that Peter arrived on shore first. Further, he doesn't even describe Peter's arrival!
All of this, so far, has been rather circumstantial. Now we come to a language clue. Notice, that when the disciples arrive, they see a charcoal fire with some fish already cooking, along with some bread (21:9). Then Jesus says, "Bring some of the fish which you have caught." And here is the language clue - "Peter WENT UP and drew the net to land." Now think about that for a moment. If Peter had been standing beside Jesus - close enough to observe the fire, fish, and bread - and if he headed to the boat to drag the net to land, how would that movement toward the water have been described? He would have "gone down" to the sea and boat. In John 6:16-17 we get that exact description: "When evening came, his disciples WENT DOWN to the sea, got into a boat, and started across the sea..." So for John to say that Peter WENT UP to the boat, we have to see a different picture. The only way for Peter to go UP to the boat, is for him to still be in the water. The word translated "went up" is described in the Theological Dictionary of the New Testament like this: The basic meaning is spatial, i.e., “to rise from the depths to the heights.” It is used for climbing aboard a ship (bold mine).
So what do we know? Peter did not grab his coat - jump into the water and swim or wade ahead of the other disciples. He grabbed his coat - jumped into the water - and when Jesus asked for a fish, Peter WENT UP and got what Jesus asked for. But why? Can we figure that out? And how do we know the number of fish that were in the net? I'll discuss those issues later. But for now, understand that the Bible does not indicate that Peter swam ahead of the other disciples when they saw Jesus on the shore after the resurrection.
When Peter heard it was Jesus, he grabbed "his outer garment (for he was stripped for work), and threw himself into the sea." (21:7) The thing that is ALWAYS added to this text are the words, "and he swam ahead." Why do people add that? It isn't in the text and it doesn't even make sense! And the thing they always leave out is the detail of him grabbing his outer garment. Logically, if Peter were going to swim ahead, he wouldn't grab his outer garment. That big heavy robe-like garment would simply slow him down and might even put him in danger of drowning! Some commentators say that the boat was in shallow water - so shallow, in fact, that Peter simply waded to shore. Again, people have added that concept and NOTHING in the text indicates that Peter got to the shore first or even attempted to get to the shore first.
One of the major principles of interpreting scripture is that wherever possible, scripture should be used to interpret itself. In this case, we can look at John's own writing. In chapter 20, in the account of the resurrection, John points out the he and Peter were running together toward the empty tomb, and that John arrived at the tomb first (20:4). John then, reveals that even though he had arrived first, Peter was the first to enter the tomb (20:6). So John has a habit of describing how events unfolded and in this instance, he made no effort at all to let his readers know that Peter arrived on shore first. Further, he doesn't even describe Peter's arrival!
All of this, so far, has been rather circumstantial. Now we come to a language clue. Notice, that when the disciples arrive, they see a charcoal fire with some fish already cooking, along with some bread (21:9). Then Jesus says, "Bring some of the fish which you have caught." And here is the language clue - "Peter WENT UP and drew the net to land." Now think about that for a moment. If Peter had been standing beside Jesus - close enough to observe the fire, fish, and bread - and if he headed to the boat to drag the net to land, how would that movement toward the water have been described? He would have "gone down" to the sea and boat. In John 6:16-17 we get that exact description: "When evening came, his disciples WENT DOWN to the sea, got into a boat, and started across the sea..." So for John to say that Peter WENT UP to the boat, we have to see a different picture. The only way for Peter to go UP to the boat, is for him to still be in the water. The word translated "went up" is described in the Theological Dictionary of the New Testament like this: The basic meaning is spatial, i.e., “to rise from the depths to the heights.” It is used for climbing aboard a ship (bold mine).
So what do we know? Peter did not grab his coat - jump into the water and swim or wade ahead of the other disciples. He grabbed his coat - jumped into the water - and when Jesus asked for a fish, Peter WENT UP and got what Jesus asked for. But why? Can we figure that out? And how do we know the number of fish that were in the net? I'll discuss those issues later. But for now, understand that the Bible does not indicate that Peter swam ahead of the other disciples when they saw Jesus on the shore after the resurrection.
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Becoming a Proud Spiritual Parent, part 2
I find it interesting that Paul had enough confidence in his relationship with Jesus that he could state that he would have "a crown of boasting" (1 Thessalonians 1:19-20) at the coming of the Lord Jesus. In that, we find that Paul's "boasting" was based on being a spiritual parent. That is, Paul was able to stand tall before Jesus because he had started many people on the road to a relationship with Jesus. In that light, Paul was a proud spiritual parent. As the father of 3 great kids, and as the grandfather of 6 (soon to be 7) grandchildren, I understand what Paul was feeling. I love to brag on my kids. I love to pull out pictures of my grandkids. In a sense, Paul was saying, "I can't wait for Jesus to return so that I can show Him pictures of my spiritual kids!"
One of the problems in today's church is that we don't have enough people with the same "pride" as Paul. In fact, too many believers today think that only people like Paul can (or even should) introduce others to Jesus. But in his first letter to the church of Thessalonica, Paul lays out several steps that everyone can take to bring someone into a relationshjp with Jesus. The first step (see www.ferventlovefirst.blogspot.com May 11, and 18, 2010) in getting an album filled with pictures of spiritual children is to understand that sharing the Gospel is the responsibility of every Christian. In 1 Thessalonians 2:4, we find that we "have been entrusted with the Gospel." In other words, if YOU don't share the love of Jesus with others, then no one will!
The second step in becoming a proud spiritual parent - one who has a photo album full of pictures you want to show to Jesus when He returns - is found in 1 Thessalonians 2:7-8. "But we were gentle among you, like a nursing mother taking care of her own children. So, being affectionately desirous of you, we were ready to share with you not only the Gospel of God, but also I very own selves, because you had become very dear to us."
So step 2 is this: NURSE THOSE NEW BABES IN CHRIST WITH THE GENTLENESS AND SACRIFICE OF A NEW MOM.
Paul knew these new babes in Christ had been given him as a trust. He would do nothing to injure them or neglect them. That's why he went beyond just telling them about Jesus. He says, "we were delighted to share with you . . . our VERY OWN SELVES."
The image is a very tender image of a mother nursing her babies. There's no urgency--no tension--in fact, if mom is the least bit tense, the milk won't let down--and the baby will become very frustrated. For nursing to work, the mother has to be relaxed and gentle--she simply can't be in a hurry. There is no greater image of gentleness and peace than that of a nursing mom, as she imparts life to the child through the sacrifice of her own milk.
Several years ago, there was an Olympic ice skater named Nancy Kerrigan -- who won the bronze medal. Nancy's mom is legally blind--and she had never seen Nancy skate in person - she had to watch her on a television screen. She couldn't see her smile--she could only see her form and the color of her costume. As Nancy skated, Mom would sit--nose just a few centimeters from the TV screen and she whispered, "I love you." And when Nancy would finish her routine, her mom broke into wild, and tearful applause--jumping up and down like an excited child. She would then turn and hug her husband and say, "Isn't she beautiful?!" Her mom poured her LIFE into Nancy and it was obvious, Nancy is her pride and joy--her crown of glory!
Now, imagine what would happen, if you began to pour your life into someone who didn't know how much Jesus loves them. Just suppose you gave your life to them the way Nancy Kerrigan's mom poured her life into her daughter. What would that do for their spiritual growth?
Now, just imagine standing there in front of Jesus when He returns and He says, "How'd this person come to know Me?" And with a wide grin, head held high, chest puffed out a little--you said, "I just tried to love them the way You love them."
You see, some things are worth the effort--just to watch a person come into a relationship with Christ and His Church. When Jesus returns, and you stand in His presence--you'll be able to point to a whole host of people who are in the faith because of you and you'll be able to say, "These are my joy and my glory. I am A PROUD PARENT."
One of the problems in today's church is that we don't have enough people with the same "pride" as Paul. In fact, too many believers today think that only people like Paul can (or even should) introduce others to Jesus. But in his first letter to the church of Thessalonica, Paul lays out several steps that everyone can take to bring someone into a relationshjp with Jesus. The first step (see www.ferventlovefirst.blogspot.com May 11, and 18, 2010) in getting an album filled with pictures of spiritual children is to understand that sharing the Gospel is the responsibility of every Christian. In 1 Thessalonians 2:4, we find that we "have been entrusted with the Gospel." In other words, if YOU don't share the love of Jesus with others, then no one will!
The second step in becoming a proud spiritual parent - one who has a photo album full of pictures you want to show to Jesus when He returns - is found in 1 Thessalonians 2:7-8. "But we were gentle among you, like a nursing mother taking care of her own children. So, being affectionately desirous of you, we were ready to share with you not only the Gospel of God, but also I very own selves, because you had become very dear to us."
So step 2 is this: NURSE THOSE NEW BABES IN CHRIST WITH THE GENTLENESS AND SACRIFICE OF A NEW MOM.
Paul knew these new babes in Christ had been given him as a trust. He would do nothing to injure them or neglect them. That's why he went beyond just telling them about Jesus. He says, "we were delighted to share with you . . . our VERY OWN SELVES."
The image is a very tender image of a mother nursing her babies. There's no urgency--no tension--in fact, if mom is the least bit tense, the milk won't let down--and the baby will become very frustrated. For nursing to work, the mother has to be relaxed and gentle--she simply can't be in a hurry. There is no greater image of gentleness and peace than that of a nursing mom, as she imparts life to the child through the sacrifice of her own milk.
Several years ago, there was an Olympic ice skater named Nancy Kerrigan -- who won the bronze medal. Nancy's mom is legally blind--and she had never seen Nancy skate in person - she had to watch her on a television screen. She couldn't see her smile--she could only see her form and the color of her costume. As Nancy skated, Mom would sit--nose just a few centimeters from the TV screen and she whispered, "I love you." And when Nancy would finish her routine, her mom broke into wild, and tearful applause--jumping up and down like an excited child. She would then turn and hug her husband and say, "Isn't she beautiful?!" Her mom poured her LIFE into Nancy and it was obvious, Nancy is her pride and joy--her crown of glory!
Now, imagine what would happen, if you began to pour your life into someone who didn't know how much Jesus loves them. Just suppose you gave your life to them the way Nancy Kerrigan's mom poured her life into her daughter. What would that do for their spiritual growth?
Now, just imagine standing there in front of Jesus when He returns and He says, "How'd this person come to know Me?" And with a wide grin, head held high, chest puffed out a little--you said, "I just tried to love them the way You love them."
You see, some things are worth the effort--just to watch a person come into a relationship with Christ and His Church. When Jesus returns, and you stand in His presence--you'll be able to point to a whole host of people who are in the faith because of you and you'll be able to say, "These are my joy and my glory. I am A PROUD PARENT."
Friday, May 14, 2010
Becoming a Proud Spiritual Parent
Most people who call themselves Christians - whether or not they will admit it - are a little uncertain about their posture when it comes to the return of Jesus. Understand that I'm not talking about the timing - will it be in the next 10 years or the next 100 or even 1000 years? What I am talking about is the sure and certain hope that Jesus will return just as He said He would. In that moment, whether it's today or not is not part of what I'm talking about; I am talking about how you will carry yourself as you stand before the King of all Creation and give account of yourself in that moment. The Apostle Paul said that the "...hope or joy or crown of boasting before our Lord Jesus at his coming" would be the Thessalonian believers who were also standing the the presence of Jesus. Paul was a proud spiritual parent. He knew that when Jesus returns, he will have a lot to show for his life. The question I want everyone who reads this to deal with is this, "What kind of a spiritual parent am I?" Truly, are you confident that when Jesus returns many of those who are there to greet Him are the result of your investment in their lives?
That's a huge question. But if Paul could be confident enough to boast in the presence of Jesus, then so can all believers! Every one of us CAN be proud spiritual parents to many. There are even some very specific steps to being the proud parent of spiritual children. The steps are found in 1 Thessalonians 2.
The first step is found in 1 Thessalonians 2:4
"...we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, so we speak, not to please man, but to please God who tests our hearts."
That's a huge question. But if Paul could be confident enough to boast in the presence of Jesus, then so can all believers! Every one of us CAN be proud spiritual parents to many. There are even some very specific steps to being the proud parent of spiritual children. The steps are found in 1 Thessalonians 2.
The first step is found in 1 Thessalonians 2:4
"...we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, so we speak, not to please man, but to please God who tests our hearts."
UNDERSTAND THAT THE GOSPEL HAS BEEN ENTRUSTED TO YOU.
Paul realized that he had been approved by God to tell people about Jesus--He was the keeper of the Gospel. And the purpose of the Gospel--the Good News--is to bring people into a relationship with the Lord.
Jesus said we were to "Go and make disciples." He said, just before he ascended into heaven, "Be My witnesses."
When we came to know Jesus, we became a new creation--created for good works which have the same purpose as the One who re-created us--to bring people into a living and growing relationship with God. This is an elementary teaching, and I don't want to get bogged down here--but it IS the starting place. If you never realize that YOU have been entrusted with the Gospel, then you will never assume the responsibility to help bring people to Jesus. And if you never bring anyone to Jesus, you will be embarrassed when Jesus returns. But I don't want that--I want you to be A PROUD PARENT of many spiritual offspring.
God approved you to be entrusted with the good news about salvation through Jesus Christ. When that sinks in--when you get hold of it--your life purpose will change. You will begin to make a list of people who are lost. You will begin to pray for them. You will begin to do acts of kindness for them--bake pies and cookies--mow their grass--pick up trash in their yards--all kinds of good deeds that will open the door for you to share Jesus with them. And somehow, by the grace of God, you will be able to bring them into New Birth--a new life in Christ. And when that happens, you will be ready for step 2.
I'll talk about step 2 later - but for now, do you realize that you are the custodian of the Gospel? Do you realize that the only way some people will enter into the presence of God for all eternity is if you introduce them to Jesus? Do you realize that you have the opportunity to have your own "crown of boasting at the return of Jesus?" This Gospel is yours! Get that truth in your heart before we move on to step 2.
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
The Return of Jesus
I just noticed the date of my last blog - one year ago today!! How's that for consistency? I had such high aspirations for writing daily or at least a couple of times a week. Oh well - perhaps I will turn over a new leaf - today! The name of my blog - Fervent Love First - and the consistency with which I write may say more than I really want it to say. Is my consistency in love no better than my consistency in writing? Not fishing for complements here - just a little self-examination in front of the internet world.
That moment of confession behind me, let's take a few minutes to think about the return of Jesus. Have you ever wondered how you will react? I mean, when that trumpet blast splits the silence, and the clouds are pushed aside, and there for every eye to see--in all His majesty stands the King of Glory--will you run and hide? Will you stand there with your mouth open? Will you fall on your face? What will you do?
I guess I'd thought about it, before, but the text I want us to look at today, gives us a chance to think about it again. As I was studying this, I saw a reaction to the second coming I wasn't quite ready for. Boasting. That's right--boasting. The Apostle Paul, in 1 Thessalonians 2:19, says, "For what is our hope or joy or crown of boasting before our Lord Jesus at his coming? Is it not you?"
He said, "Jesus is coming again, and when He does, my hope, and joy, and crown in which I can glory (exult--boast) is going to be you Thessalonian Christians." It doesn't seem to matter what else he has done--he may have written most of the New Testament--he may have been in prison for his faith--he may have been beaten and stoned and left for dead--but the one thing that will bring boasting will be the ones he has lead to the Lord and who stand firm in the faith until the return of Christ.
Paul is a PROUD PARENT, and his glory will be his spiritual children--not his biological children, but the people he has led into a lastinf and growing relationship with Jesus. I began to think about that and I discovered that all through scripture, THAT is the focus. The only work that makes any difference at all is the work of helping people to know God and grow in their relationship with Him.
In all the teachings of Jesus--the call to love one another--to do unto others as you would have them do unto you--the command to feed the hungry and clothe the naked and visit the prisoners--everything Jesus commanded us to do was for the purpose of bringing people into a loving relationship with Him. And when we stand before Him at His return, He will want to see the results of our labor. In that moment, we will either be embarrassed or proud--we will either have some spiritual children to boast about or we won't.
I'll stop for now - (not for a year as last time) - but just enough to let you think about the picture of Jesus' return and and our "hope or joy or crown of boasting at His return." Next time, I'll talk about HOW to get that crown of boasting. I don't want to be embarrassed at the return of Jesus--instead I want, like Paul, to be A PROUD PARENT. And the four steps to being a PROUD PARENT are in 1 Thessalonians.
Until next time...
That moment of confession behind me, let's take a few minutes to think about the return of Jesus. Have you ever wondered how you will react? I mean, when that trumpet blast splits the silence, and the clouds are pushed aside, and there for every eye to see--in all His majesty stands the King of Glory--will you run and hide? Will you stand there with your mouth open? Will you fall on your face? What will you do?
I guess I'd thought about it, before, but the text I want us to look at today, gives us a chance to think about it again. As I was studying this, I saw a reaction to the second coming I wasn't quite ready for. Boasting. That's right--boasting. The Apostle Paul, in 1 Thessalonians 2:19, says, "For what is our hope or joy or crown of boasting before our Lord Jesus at his coming? Is it not you?"
He said, "Jesus is coming again, and when He does, my hope, and joy, and crown in which I can glory (exult--boast) is going to be you Thessalonian Christians." It doesn't seem to matter what else he has done--he may have written most of the New Testament--he may have been in prison for his faith--he may have been beaten and stoned and left for dead--but the one thing that will bring boasting will be the ones he has lead to the Lord and who stand firm in the faith until the return of Christ.
Paul is a PROUD PARENT, and his glory will be his spiritual children--not his biological children, but the people he has led into a lastinf and growing relationship with Jesus. I began to think about that and I discovered that all through scripture, THAT is the focus. The only work that makes any difference at all is the work of helping people to know God and grow in their relationship with Him.
In all the teachings of Jesus--the call to love one another--to do unto others as you would have them do unto you--the command to feed the hungry and clothe the naked and visit the prisoners--everything Jesus commanded us to do was for the purpose of bringing people into a loving relationship with Him. And when we stand before Him at His return, He will want to see the results of our labor. In that moment, we will either be embarrassed or proud--we will either have some spiritual children to boast about or we won't.
I'll stop for now - (not for a year as last time) - but just enough to let you think about the picture of Jesus' return and and our "hope or joy or crown of boasting at His return." Next time, I'll talk about HOW to get that crown of boasting. I don't want to be embarrassed at the return of Jesus--instead I want, like Paul, to be A PROUD PARENT. And the four steps to being a PROUD PARENT are in 1 Thessalonians.
Until next time...
Monday, May 11, 2009
"If Two Of You Agree" - REALLY About Prayer?
Context – context – context! Have you ever noticed that not paying attention to context will cause you to misunderstand a text of scripture? Take, for example, the statement Jesus made in Matthew 18:19-20 – “…if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.” Do you know how many people think that verse is talking about prayer? I’ve heard it quoted most often when only two people show up for a prayer meeting. It goes something like this: “Well, Lord, we have been announcing this prayer meeting for a month, and here we are now – 20 minutes after the time to start – and my friend and I are the only ones here. But that’s OK. Your Word promises that where two or three are gathered in Your Name, that You are right there among them. And You also promise that if the two of us agree on anything, that our Heavenly Father will do whatever we ask.”
And so it continues. But have you ever really thought about the implications of that passage if it really were talking about prayer? It would eliminate the possibility of praying alone and having faith to believe your prayers would be answered. If that verse really were talking about prayer (in general), it would mean that if I could just get one other person to agree with me in prayer, then I could get that brand new silver Mercedes I’ve always wanted. Now, I’m being silly here to make a point – this verse is not about prayer and the context reveals that.
The context of this particular passage begins all the way back in 17:22 when Jesus begins to tell the disciples that the Son of Man is about to be betrayed and killed and the disciples are greatly distressed. That teaching is followed immediately by the collection of a 2 drachma tax which Jesus tells Peter to get from the mouth of a fish. (Matthew 17:27) At this point, you are probably asking yourself, “What does that have to do with two or three gathering in the name of Jesus?” And I’m glad you asked that question because there is one phrase in 17:27 that is critical to our understanding – “not to give offense to them.” You see, this segment is about dealing with offense. Matthew sets things up by warning the disciples that a very offensive act is just over the horizon – the betrayal and crucifixion of Jesus. That is an event that is sure to create offense in the hearts of the disciples. Then Matthew tells us about Jesus’ desire not to cause or create offense.
Now we come to chapter 18 and Jesus teaches about causing a little one to stumble, and about being the vessel through whom temptation comes, and about it being better to cut off a hand or pluck out an eye rather than enter into “the hell of fire.” (Matthew 18:9) Each of those images is offensive. Don’t offend a little one. Don’t be the one who brings offense through temptation. Don’t let your hand or your eye offend. So Matthew is helping us to get our hearts ready for the offense of the cross by putting several offensive images before us.
He continues by introducing a second theme that goes along with the problem of offense – separation and loss. Don’t forget, Jesus is still dealing with offense, but now he has begun to include the results that come from being offended. He talks about going after lost sheep – leaving the 99 in order to go after the one wanderer. (Matthew 18:12-14) This parable is followed immediately by the story of a lost relationship – and, of course, the relationship is lost because of offense! Jesus teaches (verse 18:15), “If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother.” In other words, “If you are offended by something your brother has done to you, just like going after a lost sheep, go after this lost relationship.”
He gives several steps in the reconciliation process, and then Jesus makes this statement – which also has been misunderstood, “…if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector.” Often times that verse has been seen as a license to reject – to cut off the wayward sinner. But think about that (mis)understanding.
Who is writing this Gospel? Matthew.
What was Matthew’s occupation? Tax Collector.
How was Matthew treated by Jesus? Was he rejected? Was he cut off from fellowship? Did Jesus tell everyone to have nothing to do with Matthew? Absolutely not! Jesus welcomed Matthew. Jesus built a relationship with Matthew. And as a result, Jesus won Matthew. Matthew was that one lost sheep. Matthew was that offensive heathen. But Jesus went after him.
And now we come to our verses, “Again I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.” You have to ask the question, “Why would Jesus spend all this time talking about not being offended, about what to do if you are offended, and about how to restore a relationship that has been lost because of offense, only to throw in a verse about prayer?” It doesn’t make sense does it? That’s because this verse isn’t about prayer. It’s about reconciliation.
Jesus is telling these people that if you are offended and it looks like the relationship has come to an end and reconciliation is impossible, that’s when you bring the family of faith into the process. If the family of faith can’t bring reconciliation, then change tactics; begin to view the lost brother (or sister) as truly lost, and redouble your efforts to win him (or her) back. Take someone with you – but remember – and here is the fun part – When “you agree on earth about anything [you] ask, it will be done for [you] by my Father in heaven.” In other words, Jesus wants reconciliation more than you do. Seeking to restore a broken relationship is the heart of God! He will be on your side and see to it that things work out.
And then, Jesus adds a little motivation to do it right, “…where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.” In other words, Jesus is teaching, “When you go, remember that you are carrying MY Name so you had better represent me well. Do things the way I would do them because, in fact, I am right there with you. So treat this person with the same love and respect and kindness and mercy that you have received from Me.”
If you aren’t convinced by now, I have one more little contextual clue that will let you know that these verses (19-20) are about reconciliation rather than prayer. Notice the first words out of Peter’s mouth when Jesus finishes this teaching, “Then Peter came up and said to him, "Lord, how often will my brother sin against me, and I forgive him?” Interesting isn’t it? If verses 19-20 were about prayer, why would Peter ask a question about forgiveness? Context – context – context!
And so it continues. But have you ever really thought about the implications of that passage if it really were talking about prayer? It would eliminate the possibility of praying alone and having faith to believe your prayers would be answered. If that verse really were talking about prayer (in general), it would mean that if I could just get one other person to agree with me in prayer, then I could get that brand new silver Mercedes I’ve always wanted. Now, I’m being silly here to make a point – this verse is not about prayer and the context reveals that.
The context of this particular passage begins all the way back in 17:22 when Jesus begins to tell the disciples that the Son of Man is about to be betrayed and killed and the disciples are greatly distressed. That teaching is followed immediately by the collection of a 2 drachma tax which Jesus tells Peter to get from the mouth of a fish. (Matthew 17:27) At this point, you are probably asking yourself, “What does that have to do with two or three gathering in the name of Jesus?” And I’m glad you asked that question because there is one phrase in 17:27 that is critical to our understanding – “not to give offense to them.” You see, this segment is about dealing with offense. Matthew sets things up by warning the disciples that a very offensive act is just over the horizon – the betrayal and crucifixion of Jesus. That is an event that is sure to create offense in the hearts of the disciples. Then Matthew tells us about Jesus’ desire not to cause or create offense.
Now we come to chapter 18 and Jesus teaches about causing a little one to stumble, and about being the vessel through whom temptation comes, and about it being better to cut off a hand or pluck out an eye rather than enter into “the hell of fire.” (Matthew 18:9) Each of those images is offensive. Don’t offend a little one. Don’t be the one who brings offense through temptation. Don’t let your hand or your eye offend. So Matthew is helping us to get our hearts ready for the offense of the cross by putting several offensive images before us.
He continues by introducing a second theme that goes along with the problem of offense – separation and loss. Don’t forget, Jesus is still dealing with offense, but now he has begun to include the results that come from being offended. He talks about going after lost sheep – leaving the 99 in order to go after the one wanderer. (Matthew 18:12-14) This parable is followed immediately by the story of a lost relationship – and, of course, the relationship is lost because of offense! Jesus teaches (verse 18:15), “If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother.” In other words, “If you are offended by something your brother has done to you, just like going after a lost sheep, go after this lost relationship.”
He gives several steps in the reconciliation process, and then Jesus makes this statement – which also has been misunderstood, “…if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector.” Often times that verse has been seen as a license to reject – to cut off the wayward sinner. But think about that (mis)understanding.
Who is writing this Gospel? Matthew.
What was Matthew’s occupation? Tax Collector.
How was Matthew treated by Jesus? Was he rejected? Was he cut off from fellowship? Did Jesus tell everyone to have nothing to do with Matthew? Absolutely not! Jesus welcomed Matthew. Jesus built a relationship with Matthew. And as a result, Jesus won Matthew. Matthew was that one lost sheep. Matthew was that offensive heathen. But Jesus went after him.
And now we come to our verses, “Again I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.” You have to ask the question, “Why would Jesus spend all this time talking about not being offended, about what to do if you are offended, and about how to restore a relationship that has been lost because of offense, only to throw in a verse about prayer?” It doesn’t make sense does it? That’s because this verse isn’t about prayer. It’s about reconciliation.
Jesus is telling these people that if you are offended and it looks like the relationship has come to an end and reconciliation is impossible, that’s when you bring the family of faith into the process. If the family of faith can’t bring reconciliation, then change tactics; begin to view the lost brother (or sister) as truly lost, and redouble your efforts to win him (or her) back. Take someone with you – but remember – and here is the fun part – When “you agree on earth about anything [you] ask, it will be done for [you] by my Father in heaven.” In other words, Jesus wants reconciliation more than you do. Seeking to restore a broken relationship is the heart of God! He will be on your side and see to it that things work out.
And then, Jesus adds a little motivation to do it right, “…where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.” In other words, Jesus is teaching, “When you go, remember that you are carrying MY Name so you had better represent me well. Do things the way I would do them because, in fact, I am right there with you. So treat this person with the same love and respect and kindness and mercy that you have received from Me.”
If you aren’t convinced by now, I have one more little contextual clue that will let you know that these verses (19-20) are about reconciliation rather than prayer. Notice the first words out of Peter’s mouth when Jesus finishes this teaching, “Then Peter came up and said to him, "Lord, how often will my brother sin against me, and I forgive him?” Interesting isn’t it? If verses 19-20 were about prayer, why would Peter ask a question about forgiveness? Context – context – context!
Thursday, May 07, 2009
Biblical Meditation
The Church has bought into an eastern mystical view of meditating on the Bible. If you just read a verse of scripture, you don't need to know what it means - just think about it - write it down several times - say it to yourself over and over - begin to sing it (either aloud or quietly to yourself) - and eventually the true meaning of the text will emerge. In adopting that form of meditating on God's Word we have created an atmosphere where there is no foundational Truth in the Word. For example, if one were to "meditate" on this portion of Psalm 1:1 - "Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners..." and my definition of "sinner" were not a Biblical definition (and believe me, there are plenty of non-biblical definitions of sin out there), then I would not arrive at the intended Truth of the Bible. My point is, that no matter how long I meditate on a passage of scripture, if I don't understand what that scripture means, I will come to a wrong conclusion.
Let me give you another example. Many people know the text that Jesus gave Himself for the Church "so that He might present the Church to Himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle..." (Ephesians 5:27). I have heard that phrase taught from the perspective of a modern western perspective - that the Church - the Bride of Christ - will stand before Jesus at the Second Coming in clothing that is pure white (like a modern, western wedding gown) and there will be no smudges on the gown. Now, if that is our understanding of the meaning of that text, no matter how many times we read it, no matter how many times we write it, not matter how many times we repeat it to ourselves - we will not come to the correct understanding of that text.
The phrase, "without spot or wrinkle," is a Hebraic metonymy - a figure of speech from a Hebrew perspective - that describes the skin condition of a bride. Her husband would look at her skin and notice if she had spots - because spots meant she had been spending much time in the sun laboring to earn his love. If her skin had wrinkles, that meant she was a worrier - she had been fretting and did not trust his ability to take care of her.
Now upon reflection, we find that Jesus wants a "bride" a Church that has entered into His rest - those who have done what Jesus said to do in Matthew 11:28-30 - "Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and YOU WILL FIND REST FOR YOUR SOULS. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light." In other words, Jesus wants people who will rest in Him and stop trying to earn their salvation. In addition, Jesus is looking for a "bride" - a Church - without wrinkle. That means He wants us to stop worrying! A Church without wrinkle has followed Jesus' teaching found in Luke 12:25-32 - "And which of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life's span? ... But if God so clothes the grass in the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, how much more will He clothe you? You men of little faith! ... And do not seek what you will eat and what you will drink, and do not keep worrying. ... your Father knows that you need these things. But seek His kingdom, and these things will be added to you. Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has chosen gladly to give you the kingdom. "
I say all of that just to say this, Biblical Meditation involves INTENSE STUDY followed by REFLECTION. Biblical Meditation is not built on reflection alone. I had a band director in High School who used to say to all his students, "Practice makes perfect.....unless you are practicing wrong." I say the same thing about meditating on the Bible. The way to ensure that you are meditating correctly is study. Biblical Meditation does not come after study - Biblical Meditation includes and begins with study. I encourage you - whatever else you do - STUDY the Bible!
Let me give you another example. Many people know the text that Jesus gave Himself for the Church "so that He might present the Church to Himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle..." (Ephesians 5:27). I have heard that phrase taught from the perspective of a modern western perspective - that the Church - the Bride of Christ - will stand before Jesus at the Second Coming in clothing that is pure white (like a modern, western wedding gown) and there will be no smudges on the gown. Now, if that is our understanding of the meaning of that text, no matter how many times we read it, no matter how many times we write it, not matter how many times we repeat it to ourselves - we will not come to the correct understanding of that text.
The phrase, "without spot or wrinkle," is a Hebraic metonymy - a figure of speech from a Hebrew perspective - that describes the skin condition of a bride. Her husband would look at her skin and notice if she had spots - because spots meant she had been spending much time in the sun laboring to earn his love. If her skin had wrinkles, that meant she was a worrier - she had been fretting and did not trust his ability to take care of her.
Now upon reflection, we find that Jesus wants a "bride" a Church that has entered into His rest - those who have done what Jesus said to do in Matthew 11:28-30 - "Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and YOU WILL FIND REST FOR YOUR SOULS. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light." In other words, Jesus wants people who will rest in Him and stop trying to earn their salvation. In addition, Jesus is looking for a "bride" - a Church - without wrinkle. That means He wants us to stop worrying! A Church without wrinkle has followed Jesus' teaching found in Luke 12:25-32 - "And which of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life's span? ... But if God so clothes the grass in the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, how much more will He clothe you? You men of little faith! ... And do not seek what you will eat and what you will drink, and do not keep worrying. ... your Father knows that you need these things. But seek His kingdom, and these things will be added to you. Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has chosen gladly to give you the kingdom. "
I say all of that just to say this, Biblical Meditation involves INTENSE STUDY followed by REFLECTION. Biblical Meditation is not built on reflection alone. I had a band director in High School who used to say to all his students, "Practice makes perfect.....unless you are practicing wrong." I say the same thing about meditating on the Bible. The way to ensure that you are meditating correctly is study. Biblical Meditation does not come after study - Biblical Meditation includes and begins with study. I encourage you - whatever else you do - STUDY the Bible!
Tuesday, December 25, 2007
The Call Kansas City
If you are unable to join us at Bartle Hall in Kansas City on December 31, join us through internet webstream at http://www.thecall.com/ for FREE or via GOD TV (channel 365 on DirecTV). Also, be sure to join Lou Engle, Eddie James, Mike Bickle, and Will Ford at Bartle Hall in Kansas City or via internet webstream at http://www.thecall.com/ for a special prophetic call to African-American leaders on December 28.
TheCall Kansas City: Making America a House of Prayer
Historic outpourings of the Holy Spirit have always been preceded by an extraordinary movement of prayer and fasting led by ordinary men and women. History bears witness to this reality with Evan Roberts and the Welsh Revival, with Frank Bartleman and the Azusa Street Revival, with Count Zinzendorf and the Moravian movement, and, above all, with the young disciples gathered in the Upper Room in Acts 2 that led to the rapid expansion of the Church in the first century. Again, a generation is emerging that is laying hold of the prophetic promise of revival in this nation. 2008 looms largely ahead of us and is rapidly becoming the battlefield on which a generation must contend for revival. It will take nothing less than a nationwide movement of prayer and fasting . Thus, we are believing that every family, every church, every business, and every college campus will become a House of Prayer (Isaiah 56:7). We believe that 2008 will be a year that is marked with prayer and fasting–with young adults starting prayer furnaces on college campuses, with men and women starting prayer meetings in the marketplace, with local churches becoming day and night houses of prayer. Over ten years ago, the Lord gave a prophetic friend of mine a profound dream that pointed me back to my life's calling and vocation. In the dream, a Buddhist house of prayer sat atop a Christian house of prayer and dominated it. But then, the Christian house of prayer began to wrestle with the Buddhist house of prayer and began to overpower it. Through this dream, the Lord resoundingly spoke to me and challenged me to "raise up a house of prayer that contends with every other house." Moreover, just a few years later, through a series of profound prophetic events, the Lord spoke to me prophetically that "wherever TheCall goes, I (the Lord) will establish My House of Prayer."To that end, we are calling for 30,000+ to gather in Kansas City on December 31 for TheCall Kansas City where we will seek God in fasting and prayer to visit this nation with a historic revival and cry out to God to establish His House of Prayer in cities all across America. I believe that our nation has yet to see the Church in its full potential to transform cities. However, I believe that a new sound is emerging that will explore the limitless power from on high when we partner with God through unceasing prayer and fasting. I believe that now is America's time to raise up Houses of Prayer in cities all across the nation to contend for breakthrough!For more information, visit http://www.thecall.com/.
Monday, December 24, 2007
A New Grandson
It's about time that I did a little bragging. Our middle child, Alicia, and her husband, Ashley are the proud parents of a new little boy -Ashtyn. He was born a week and 2 days ago - December 15 to be exact. He weighed in at 7.5 pounds and stands 20.5 inches tall - actually he stretches to 20.5 inches long - horizontal. He has dark hair and, according to his very biased dad, he looks like the Mills side of the family. Here's a pic of the little guy's hair, just to demonstrate the dark hair part.
Sunday, November 25, 2007
Fresh Revelation
I think I have just come up with some fresh revelation! Texas truly is 
God's chosen state. I have proof from the Bible! What is the "nick name" for the state of Texas? The "Lone Star State." And how many stars are on the flag of Texas? One - one lone star.
Now, how many stars guided the wise men to the child, Jesus? Was it a whole constelation? No - it was one single star. God chose to lead the magi to Jesus with one, lone star because He knew that one day there would be a place called Texas whose symbol would be a single star. Thus, Texas is God's favorite state.
Of course, I'm being silly, but as an amateur teacher of Biblical Hermeneutics (the art of interpreting the Bible), I am constantly amazed at what people can do to the Bible - all in the name of "fresh revelation." Some of the "fresh revelation" is pretty harmless and so I don't make too much fuss over it. However, some of it causes us to miss significant truth in God's Word. For example, in Matthew 18:19 Jesus says, "Again I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven." I can't tell you how many times I've heard that verse quoted in prayer meetings (especially when only two people showed up), in an attempt to convince God that He has to answer your prayers because two of you are praying together. The implications of that wrong "hermeneutic" are significant. If Jesus really meant what people have said this verse means, then no one could ever pray with any confidence when they are alone. If the verse really meant what people say it means, then it would reveal that Jesus' actions of going off by Himself to pray were wrong - or at least that He couldn't expect the Father to answer since He wasn't praying with someone.
Now you may not think this is any big deal - but the reality is, this particular verse doesn't have anything to do with prayer. Instead, it has to do with getting a friend to help in the restoration of a broken relationship. Jesus has just taught that if a brother sins against you, it is imperative that you do everything possible to restore that lost or broken relationship. And then He promises, that if two of you will agree to restore the broken relationship, then He will work with you to make it happen. That understanding of the verse is significantly more powerful.
I want to encourage you to seek fresh revelation from Scripture - but make sure that the "revelation" you receive truly is that, and not just the product of a good imagination.
God's chosen state. I have proof from the Bible! What is the "nick name" for the state of Texas? The "Lone Star State." And how many stars are on the flag of Texas? One - one lone star.Now, how many stars guided the wise men to the child, Jesus? Was it a whole constelation? No - it was one single star. God chose to lead the magi to Jesus with one, lone star because He knew that one day there would be a place called Texas whose symbol would be a single star. Thus, Texas is God's favorite state.
Of course, I'm being silly, but as an amateur teacher of Biblical Hermeneutics (the art of interpreting the Bible), I am constantly amazed at what people can do to the Bible - all in the name of "fresh revelation." Some of the "fresh revelation" is pretty harmless and so I don't make too much fuss over it. However, some of it causes us to miss significant truth in God's Word. For example, in Matthew 18:19 Jesus says, "Again I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven." I can't tell you how many times I've heard that verse quoted in prayer meetings (especially when only two people showed up), in an attempt to convince God that He has to answer your prayers because two of you are praying together. The implications of that wrong "hermeneutic" are significant. If Jesus really meant what people have said this verse means, then no one could ever pray with any confidence when they are alone. If the verse really meant what people say it means, then it would reveal that Jesus' actions of going off by Himself to pray were wrong - or at least that He couldn't expect the Father to answer since He wasn't praying with someone.
Now you may not think this is any big deal - but the reality is, this particular verse doesn't have anything to do with prayer. Instead, it has to do with getting a friend to help in the restoration of a broken relationship. Jesus has just taught that if a brother sins against you, it is imperative that you do everything possible to restore that lost or broken relationship. And then He promises, that if two of you will agree to restore the broken relationship, then He will work with you to make it happen. That understanding of the verse is significantly more powerful.
I want to encourage you to seek fresh revelation from Scripture - but make sure that the "revelation" you receive truly is that, and not just the product of a good imagination.
Thursday, June 07, 2007
The Times They Are A Changin'
Come gather 'round people
Wherever you roam
And admit that the waters
Around you have grown
And accept it that soon
You'll be drenched to the bone.
If your time to you
Is worth savin'
Then you better start swimmin'
Or you'll sink like a stone
For the times they are a-changin'.
The line it is drawn
The curse it is cast
The slow one now
Will later be fast
As the present now
Will later be past
The order is
Rapidly fadin'.
And the first one now
Will later be last
For the times they are a-changin'.
These are the first and last verses to a familiar Bob Dylan classic which was first released in 1964. In 1967 they were re-released, and that is the version I was most familiar with. I had no idea that 40 years later those words would be significantly more meaningful to me personally than they were when I was 16. In those days the hippie / free love movement began at the corner of Haight and Ashbury in San Francisco - the Israeli army conducted the famous 6 day war - Viet Nam was raging - and my family moved from the only home I had ever known growing up, into a school whose junior class alone was more than two times larger than my entire high school had been. The times, they truly were a'changin'.
Then, this past week I traveled with Debbie and Marisa to visit my mom and dad in the Dallas, Texas area. My parents no longer live together. After 64 years of marriage, my dad has had to be moved away from my mom into an Alzheimer's care facility. My mom lives in a retirement village and has assistance 5 days a week. For them - and for the rest of the family - the times they are a'changin'.
My dad is no longer the dad I have known all my life - he is but a shell of the man who gave himself so diligently and lovingly for his family.
My mom, though lucid most of the time, can be seen sitting in her chair talking to people only she can see, or going through motions with her hands as if she were sewing something precious to her - movements she has done thousands of times making dresses for my sisters and quilts and such - though there is no needle, thread or fabric in front of her.
For us all - especially mom and dad - the times they are a'changin'. I pray that we all will continue to make the adjustments with grace and dignity - and the love we learned from these two wonderful parents. Bless you Mom and Dad - and thanks for giving us all life and love.
Monday, May 28, 2007
For Those Who Give Their Lives
Memorial Day in the United States is designed to remember those who have defended this country, and to pay special tribute to those who have lost their lives in that defense. I might not be allowed to write this note were it not for all of them - thanks is just not adequate - but add my feeble attempt to the millions of others who are thankful for the sacrifices you and your loved ones have made and perhaps you will be able to hear our hearts.
In addition to those brave soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen, and coast guard who have lost their lives, as a Christian, I want to also remember all those who have lost their lives in defense of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Thank you for making it possible for me and my family to know and love Jesus - to know that Jesus loves me. Thank you for all the missionaries who serve today. Thank you for all those who even at this moment are in prisons around the world - simply because they love Jesus. For all of you I humbly pray:
In addition to those brave soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen, and coast guard who have lost their lives, as a Christian, I want to also remember all those who have lost their lives in defense of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Thank you for making it possible for me and my family to know and love Jesus - to know that Jesus loves me. Thank you for all the missionaries who serve today. Thank you for all those who even at this moment are in prisons around the world - simply because they love Jesus. For all of you I humbly pray:
The Lord bless you and keep you;
The Lord make His face to shine upon you and be gracious to you;
The Lord turn His face toward you and give you peace.
Amen
Tuesday, May 22, 2007
The Responsibility of Preachers
That's a pretty lofty title isn't it? I didn't mean it to be - I'm not going to talk about moral or social responsibility - I just want to point out the importance of communicating the Word of God with clarity. There is something about the human brain that longs for clarity and organization and I hear too many preachers that come up short in both areas. What's even sadder is that they blame it on the Holy Spirit! "Well, I just preach as I'm led" becomes the mantra of laziness and irresponsibility on the part of the preacher.
Let me give you a little picture that may help. If not, then I'm guilty of the very thing about which I'm concerned. Anyway, imagine yourself at the head of a car caravan. You have just left a 
wedding and your job is to get all those that attended the wedding ceremony from the church to the location of the celebratory gathering we call a reception. Imagine further, that you are the only one who has directions from the church to the reception hall. It is your responsibility to drive in such a way that you get everyone to the party. With that image, you understand that you will drive differently than if you were going to the party all on your own. If you didn't have the responsibility of getting others from point A to point B, you would drive a little faster; you would speed up going through traffic lights - even daring to go through the intersection when the light has turned yellow. You would always use your turn indicator. You would change lanes with much greater care and soon enough for everyone in the caravan to make the coming lane adjustments and turns. Every time you went through a traffic light, you would check your rear view mirror to make sure the whole caravan was still in tact. If anyone happened to miss the light, you would pull over and wait until the traffic light changed and those missing cars rejoined the caravan. The point is, you just drive differently when you know people are depending on you to get to a particular destination.
wedding and your job is to get all those that attended the wedding ceremony from the church to the location of the celebratory gathering we call a reception. Imagine further, that you are the only one who has directions from the church to the reception hall. It is your responsibility to drive in such a way that you get everyone to the party. With that image, you understand that you will drive differently than if you were going to the party all on your own. If you didn't have the responsibility of getting others from point A to point B, you would drive a little faster; you would speed up going through traffic lights - even daring to go through the intersection when the light has turned yellow. You would always use your turn indicator. You would change lanes with much greater care and soon enough for everyone in the caravan to make the coming lane adjustments and turns. Every time you went through a traffic light, you would check your rear view mirror to make sure the whole caravan was still in tact. If anyone happened to miss the light, you would pull over and wait until the traffic light changed and those missing cars rejoined the caravan. The point is, you just drive differently when you know people are depending on you to get to a particular destination.Now, translate that to preaching. First, a preacher must know the destination of the biblical text or the whole experience is an exercise in futility. Did you know that studies have been done that indicate that 50% of preachers have no idea what point they are trying to make
with their sermons!!! That means that half of the congregations in America are following someone who has no idea where they are going!!!! That's frightening to me. We know those 50% are totally disorganized - that's a given. On top of that, probably half of the remaining preachers - even if they know the destination - even if they know where the text is headed - they are so disorganized that people have trouble following them. Too many preachers preach like they do personal devotions - it's a kind of stream of consciousness extemporaneous speaking - one thought or verse of scripture triggers another thought or verse which triggers another and so on. In the end, when the preacher looks back - the caravan has dispersed and no one shows up at the party - the celebration of God's Word.
with their sermons!!! That means that half of the congregations in America are following someone who has no idea where they are going!!!! That's frightening to me. We know those 50% are totally disorganized - that's a given. On top of that, probably half of the remaining preachers - even if they know the destination - even if they know where the text is headed - they are so disorganized that people have trouble following them. Too many preachers preach like they do personal devotions - it's a kind of stream of consciousness extemporaneous speaking - one thought or verse of scripture triggers another thought or verse which triggers another and so on. In the end, when the preacher looks back - the caravan has dispersed and no one shows up at the party - the celebration of God's Word.I don 't know why that was on my mind this morning - but it was - so there you have it.
Wednesday, May 16, 2007
A Sad Commentary
I still get my denominational newspaper each week - the United Methodist Reporter. In the latest edition, there is a story about an Episcopal Church in New Jersey that has a major dilemma. They have no money and they are contemplating selling their "Tiffany Stained Glass Windows" in order to survive a little longer. The once vital congregation has dwindled to almost nothing and one solution that has been suggested by the pastor is to sell the windows. Each window is insured for a half million dollars, but brokers indicate that the most anyone could expect to get for a "religious themed" window is $200K. Of course there are many opinions related to what the congregation should do - Episcopalians are like Methodist in that regard - wherever two or three Methodists are gathered together there are at least 5 or 6 opinions! Anyway, in one discussion, the article quotes one concerned congregant (see how I use that denominational language with ease!!) said, "This is what makes the church, the historic stuff!"
In another realm, a letter to the editor in the Kansas City Star recently was lamenting the fact that people had made such a big deal out of the life of Jerry Falwell. The letter writer was aghast that anyone like Reverend Falwell could be considered a Christian. He even went so far as to say that Mahatma Gandhi, a Hindu, was a better Christian than Jerry Falwell because he was more accepting of gays and lesbians - or something of that nature.
And now for one more story: I was a campus minister at one point in my life and our campus ministry had an intramural basketball team. In one of our games, the officiating was obviously one sided against us. By the time the game was down to the last 3 minutes of play, our team had been to the foul line only 3 times (that means that only 3 fouls were called against the opposing team in the entire game), and the other team had shot more foul shots than we could count! Needless to say, our guys were quite frustrated and began to show that frustration toward the referees. Finally, the debacle was over and as our players walked off the court, refusing to shake the hands of the opponents (I'm not saying that behavior showed good sportsmanship, but it was understandable), one of the chief offenders from the other team (the one who fouled our guys most and got away with every one of them) yelled, "I thought you were supposed to be Christians!"
The implication in all of those stories is that we, the Church, have lost our way. From the church lady who thinks that it's the historic stuff that makes the church, to the gay guy who thinks that being a Christian means you have no standards, to the basketball player who thinks a Christian is one who never gets frustrated in the face of injustice - we learn that the church is obviously communicating a wrong message. We have wandered far off course from our mandate to "Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit." It's time we Christians examined ourselves and see where we have lifted up our denomination, or our rules, or our attitudes and failed to lift up Jesus.
In another realm, a letter to the editor in the Kansas City Star recently was lamenting the fact that people had made such a big deal out of the life of Jerry Falwell. The letter writer was aghast that anyone like Reverend Falwell could be considered a Christian. He even went so far as to say that Mahatma Gandhi, a Hindu, was a better Christian than Jerry Falwell because he was more accepting of gays and lesbians - or something of that nature.
And now for one more story: I was a campus minister at one point in my life and our campus ministry had an intramural basketball team. In one of our games, the officiating was obviously one sided against us. By the time the game was down to the last 3 minutes of play, our team had been to the foul line only 3 times (that means that only 3 fouls were called against the opposing team in the entire game), and the other team had shot more foul shots than we could count! Needless to say, our guys were quite frustrated and began to show that frustration toward the referees. Finally, the debacle was over and as our players walked off the court, refusing to shake the hands of the opponents (I'm not saying that behavior showed good sportsmanship, but it was understandable), one of the chief offenders from the other team (the one who fouled our guys most and got away with every one of them) yelled, "I thought you were supposed to be Christians!"
The implication in all of those stories is that we, the Church, have lost our way. From the church lady who thinks that it's the historic stuff that makes the church, to the gay guy who thinks that being a Christian means you have no standards, to the basketball player who thinks a Christian is one who never gets frustrated in the face of injustice - we learn that the church is obviously communicating a wrong message. We have wandered far off course from our mandate to "Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit." It's time we Christians examined ourselves and see where we have lifted up our denomination, or our rules, or our attitudes and failed to lift up Jesus.
Tuesday, May 15, 2007
My Excuse Is...
Actually, I have no excuse - just a really good reason for not blogging - I'm lazy. That's a reason isn't it? The excuse I would have used, were I so inclined, is that my mentor - my friend - my inspiration (well, maybe that takes it a little too far) - but anyway, the guy who got me started, Randy Bohlender, quit and now he's back, so I guess I can give it another shot.
What a great 2 weeks I've had! Jonathan and Heidi along with Kai, Salem and Faith have been here for 12 days and in the middle of that Alicia, Ashley, and Aria came for Mothers' day! We have had a blast! The time had flown by so quickly. Ashley headed back to Madison, WI on Sunday; Debbie and I took Alicia and Aria to the airport this morning; and Jonathan's crew head out at O-dark thirty on Thursday. It will be disturbingly quiet around the Mills house. I would add pictures - but my grand kids are just soooooooo cute that it would create a flood of envy; and besides, I have too many pictures and just can't choose which ones to exclude. So, maybe in days ahead, I'll share a few.
Be blessed, y'all!
What a great 2 weeks I've had! Jonathan and Heidi along with Kai, Salem and Faith have been here for 12 days and in the middle of that Alicia, Ashley, and Aria came for Mothers' day! We have had a blast! The time had flown by so quickly. Ashley headed back to Madison, WI on Sunday; Debbie and I took Alicia and Aria to the airport this morning; and Jonathan's crew head out at O-dark thirty on Thursday. It will be disturbingly quiet around the Mills house. I would add pictures - but my grand kids are just soooooooo cute that it would create a flood of envy; and besides, I have too many pictures and just can't choose which ones to exclude. So, maybe in days ahead, I'll share a few.
Be blessed, y'all!
Friday, March 30, 2007
Factoid Friday
Wow - does time ever fly!!!!! I can't believe it's been a week since my last post. That is not a good thing for building loyal blog buddies. Perhaps I'm in a creative slump - perhaps I never had any creativity in the first place - perhaps I'm just a slacker - perhaps .... well never mind. I'll not bore you any longer with my delinquency and continue to bore you with
FACTOID FRIDAY!
Today's factoid has to do with local driving issues. Did you know that the 6th worst place in the United States for driving a car is (drum roll please) ..... Kansas City, Missouri! At least we aren't as bad at driving as the people in St. Louis, Missouri - they are the number two worst place. The worst place in the US for car crashes and reckless driving is Columbia, South Carolina. Because I don't want to leave you with a totally negative factoid to haunt your weekend, I will tell you that the best, safest, and most crash free city in the US is Des Moines, Iowa. Once again, folks, I don't explain 'em, I just report 'em. Have a great weekend!
Friday, March 23, 2007
Factoid Friday
After missing the last couple of Fridays because of my trip to Hawaii, it is once again time for
Did you know that the human brain processes about 11 million pieces of information EVERY SECOND? That's lots of information, right? Now here's the really interesting part - only 40 of those pieces of information are processed consciously. That means that 10,999,960 pieces of information are processed by the unconscious brain! The implications of this information are - now get this - mind boggling. There is a lot going on in and around us that is completely beyond the scope of our awareness - and yet it impacts how we feel, what we think, how we act, what we do.
I have no idea what you are to do with this information - but I'm just committed to reporting the factoids - I'll let you figure out the implications.
FACTOID FRIDAY!
Did you know that the human brain processes about 11 million pieces of information EVERY SECOND? That's lots of information, right? Now here's the really interesting part - only 40 of those pieces of information are processed consciously. That means that 10,999,960 pieces of information are processed by the unconscious brain! The implications of this information are - now get this - mind boggling. There is a lot going on in and around us that is completely beyond the scope of our awareness - and yet it impacts how we feel, what we think, how we act, what we do.I have no idea what you are to do with this information - but I'm just committed to reporting the factoids - I'll let you figure out the implications.
Thursday, March 22, 2007
Back in KC
Here it is Thursday and my brain has yet to catch up to my body - We left Honolulu at 6:40 pm Sunday (11:40 pm KC time) and arrived in KC at 11 am on Monday - that's 11.5
hours in transit. Sleeping is virtually impossible on an airplane and we promised ourselves that we would not go to sleep before the normal 10 pm on Monday - didn't make it! I think we finally gave up and went to sleep at 9 pm. The good news is that when we arrived in KC our daughter, Alicia, and granddaughter, Aria, were there to meet us. Then we had the opportunity to take care of Aria for the next 24 hours so that Alicia, Marisa and their friend Lindsay could have a little "girl time." We were more than happy to take care of little Aria - she was just wonderful!
hours in transit. Sleeping is virtually impossible on an airplane and we promised ourselves that we would not go to sleep before the normal 10 pm on Monday - didn't make it! I think we finally gave up and went to sleep at 9 pm. The good news is that when we arrived in KC our daughter, Alicia, and granddaughter, Aria, were there to meet us. Then we had the opportunity to take care of Aria for the next 24 hours so that Alicia, Marisa and their friend Lindsay could have a little "girl time." We were more than happy to take care of little Aria - she was just wonderful!Yesterday (Wednesday) I spent most of the day getting ready to teach on healing and communion. It is a great study in 1 Corinthians. I focused my study on 2 significant words from 1 Corinthians 11 - proclaim and examine. Time didn't permit me to do more than "proclaim" last night, so next Wednesday I'll focus on the "examine" part of the text. I shared that when Jesus told the early church to "do this in remembrance of me" He was not talking about a sentimental remembrance, but He was telling the people to "remember to proclaim everything I did for you in My death." That proclamation involved two elements - the broken body and the spilled blood. When Jesus said, "This is my body broken for you," he was calling attention to the words of Isaiah 43:4-5 which ends with this promise: "By His wounds we are healed." When we proclaim the broken body of Jesus we come face to face with our faith - do I really believe that His death provided for my healing? Every time I partake of the broken body of the Lord, I am proclaiming my trust in His promise - and I am bolstering my faith to believe it even more! I'll talk about the shed blood element of the proclamation later.
For now, I'm just enjoying being back in the prayer room!
Sunday, March 18, 2007
Aloha Oi
Well - this is the last day for Hawaii - we head out this evening at 6:40 - that's 11:40 pm KC time. Arrive in KC Monday morning at 10 am after a stop in Houston. When I get home, I'll have a few more parting photos and thoughts. Hope you've enjoyed sharing in our little Hawaiian excursion - it's been fun.
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