Miracles, Where Have They Gone?

According to Philip Bence, author of Acts: A Bible Commentary in the Wesleyan Tradition,

God may choose to perform fewer miracles now than in the New Testament era; God may have had special reasons which required greater frequency of miracles at critical points in biblical history.  Perhaps the church today is responsible; we might not be asking or believing for miracles as God’s previous servants did.  Or maybe the church today overestimates the frequency of first-century miracles, or underestimates the frequency of miracles in our time.  There might be truth in all of these answers.

John Stott, author of The Bible Speaks Today: Acts, writes,

If, then, we take Scripture as our guide, we will avoid opposite extremes. We will neither describe miracles as ‘never happening’, nor as ‘everyday occurrences’, neither as ‘impossible’ nor as ‘normal’. Instead, we will be entirely open to the God who works both through nature and through miracle. And when a healing miracle is claimed, we will expect it to resemble those in the Gospels and the Acts and so to be the instantaneous and complete cure of an organic condition, without the use of medical or surgical means, inviting investigation and persuading even unbelievers. For so it was with the congenital cripple. Peter took his miraculous healing as the text of both his sermon to the crowd and his speech to the Council. Word and sign together bore testimony to the uniquely powerful name of Jesus. The healing of the cripple’s body was a vivid dramatization of the apostolic message of salvation.

The Power of Two

This morning my fast from coffee ends.  I’m a coffee purist, so to me black is the only way to enjoy this delectable delight.  I know that some find it quite repulsive on its own and so they add flavored creamer.  Coffee and creamer, what a combination!  There are a lot of things in life that go better together.  For example, you wouldn’t have as much fun with a baseball bat if you didn’t have a baseball.  Or consider owning a lock without the key.  As the old country western music song goes, “like a hammer and a nail. like socks and shoes … like rhythm and blues.”  Even some words are more powerful together.  Consider the word I for a moment.  I defines you and differentiates you from others.  The word do is often used to evaluate your worth, “So, what do you do for a living?”  But if you put them together, “I do,” your life could be changed forever.  Some things are just better together.  That’s the power two.

In the Apostle Peter’s first sermon he lists no less than four powerful combinations, each important on their own, but unbelievably powerful when combined.  That’s the power of two.

 Fellow Israelites, listen to these words! Jesus the Nazarene was a man whose credentials God proved to you through miracles, wonders, and signs, which God performed through him among you. You yourselves know this.  (Acts 2:22 CEB)

Peter is explaining to the crowd gathered on the day of Pentecost that Jesus is the Messiah.  Peter is clear to state that Jesus was a man.  However, we wasn’t merely a man, he was fully a man.  We are merely human because of the fall, but by the grace of God we are becoming fully human like Jesus.  The author of Hebrews tells us that Jesus was man like us, tempted in every way, yet without sin.  That Jesus was without sin is important because that is what qualifies him to be the passover lamb of God.

Jesus’ life was proved by God through miracles, wonders, and signs.  The nature of Jesus’ miracles were to demonstrate the power of God.  The nature of his wonders were to arouse astonishment.  The nature of his signs were to point to spiritual truth.

In accordance with God’s established plan and foreknowledge, he was betrayed. You, with the help of wicked men, had Jesus killed by nailing him to a cross.  God raised him up! God freed him from death’s dreadful grip, since it was impossible for death to hang on to him.  (Acts 2:23-24 CEB)

Death is a powerful event.  Death has the power to move us deeply and affect us in ways that are unpredictable.  Death, being the last enemy, is a powerful adversary.  Death is also powerful in another way.  Death means blood, and blood means atonement.  The death of Jesus provides the atonement necessary for the forgiveness of sin.  His death is a mystery.  It comes in part because God had determined to hand over his only son and in part because of the wickedness of the Jewish and Roman leaders.  Through the death of Jesus, God’s saving purposes were being worked out.  By itself, the death of Jesus is a powerful event, but it is insufficient for abundant living and eternal life.  For that God had to combine the death of Jesus with the resurrection of Jesus.

Life is a powerful event.  At the birth of my children I was overwhelmed with joy, love, awe, and fear.  Nothing is more precious than life.  Jesus said, “I have come that you might have life to the fullest!”  If Jesus had died only, then we would would live forgiven, but death would still be the final answer.  However, God raised him from the dead.  He was dead indeed, for, “Death had its painful grip on him,” but God released him and raised him up.  Jesus truly died and truly rose thereby conquering death forever!  Death and resurrection – that’s the power of two!

 25   David says about him, ”I foresaw that the Lord was always with me; because he is at my right hand I won’t be shaken. 26 Therefore, my heart was glad and my tongue rejoiced. Moreover, my body will live in hope, 27 because you won’t abandon me to the grave, nor permit your holy one to experience decay. 28 You have shown me the paths of life; your presence will fill me with happiness.“ 

29 “Brothers and sisters, I can speak confidently about the patriarch David. He died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this very day. 30 Because he was a prophet, he knew that God promised him with a solemn pledge to seat one of his descendants on his throne. 31 Having seen this beforehand, David spoke about the resurrection of Christ, that he wasn’t abandoned to the grave, nor did his body experience decay. 32 This Jesus, God raised up. We are all witnesses to that fact. 33 He was exalted to God’s right side and received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit. He poured out this Spirit, and you are seeing and hearing the results of his having done so.

34 David didn’t ascend into heaven. Yet he says, “The Lord said to my Lord, ‘Sit at my right side, 35 until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.’” 36 Therefore, let all Israel know beyond question that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.” (Acts 2:25–36 CEB)

Peter has made some bold claims – that Jesus was put to death and raised to life.  But no claim has any validity without a witness.  In fact, according to the Law, no testimony could be heard from a single witness.  For there to be any credibility there must always be at least two witnesses.  Just another example of the power of two.  Peter’s claim that Jesus was crucified and raised from the dead is no exception.  Therefore, Peter’s first witness is King David.

Peter quotes Psalm 16:8-11, in which, he claims, the death and resurrection of the Messiah was foretold.  King David wasn’t speaking of himself for his body still remains in his tomb to this day.  He was speaking of God’s anointed one, Israel’s Messiah.  This makes sense if one understands that all scripture points to Jesus.

That’s one witness, but what about the other witness?  For this Peter reminds the crowd, “This Jesus, God raised up.  We are all witnesses to that fact.”  With two witnesses established Peter is now free to speak of the implications of these events, “Therefore, let all Israel know beyond question that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.”

37  When the crowd heard this, they were deeply troubled. They said to Peter and the other apostles, “Brothers, what should we do?”

38 Peter replied, “Change your hearts and lives. Each of you must be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. Then you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 This promise is for you, your children, and for all who are far away—as many as the Lord our God invites.”

40 With many other words he testified to them and encouraged them, saying, “Be saved from this perverse generation.” 41 Those who accepted Peter’s message were baptized. God brought about three thousand people into the community on that day.  (Acts 2:37–41 CEB)

At these the words the crowd is cut to the heart; they are convicted and cry out, “What should we do?!”  Peter responds with two more sets of powerful twos – two promises and two conditions.

The first of the promises is that this Jesus, whom God raised from the dead, can forgive sins.  He doesn’t simply forget all the harm you have done to yourself and to others, he forgives it.  He offers a full pardon, a full re-start on life.  No more guilt.  No more baggage.  No more trauma.  He takes it all away.  What an amazing offer!  However, this offer would only be momentarily enjoyed if we were left unchanged.  For each of us have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God and without some kind of empowerment we would soon return to our wretched ways, like a dog returning to its vomit.  Fortunately, forgiveness does not come all by its lonesome.

The second promise is the indwelling presence of God’s Holy Spirit, transforming those who believe and making them whole and holy.  Jesus offers to all – “you, your children, and for all who are far away; as many as the Lord our God invites” – forgiveness and empowerment.  No more “prone to wander, Lord I feel it; prone to leave the God I love.”  Forgiveness and empowerment – that’s the power of two!

These promises, though, are based on two conditions.  The crowd, after hearing Peter’s sermon, cried out, “What should we do?”  First, “Change your hearts and lives.”  The first condition is to repent of a life that rejects God’s Son.  Stop doing harm.  Start doing all the good you can.  Learn to stay in love with Jesus.  Second, “Be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins.”  In other words, by faith, receive Jesus into your lives and be baptized as an outward sign of this inward condition.  Repentance and faith go hand in hand and are the conditions upon which the two promises are made.  Repentance is impossible without faith, for without faith one cannot turn from sin and turn to God.  Repentance and faith – that’s the power of two!

There are two little words that will change your life.  Each word on their own is powerful, but together they will transform you and change you for all eternity – Yes, Jesus.

He is risen.  He is risen indeed!

Do Not Worry About Your Life

“Cast your burdens on Jesus for he cares for you … Higher higher higher higher higher …” is often easier sang than done.  The Apostle Peter reminds that Jesus loves us and invites us to cast our burdens, our worries, our anxiety on him.  Why?  We were never made to worry.

In the garden, Adam and Eve hadn’t a care in the world.  all they had to focus on was being obedient to God and enjoying creation through care and cultivation.  That is what we wee designed for – obedience and enjoyment.  Unfortunately, like Adam and Eve, we have traded in obedience and enjoyment for worry.  We worry about everything.  Just about each and every one of us can readily identify what we waste our time worrying about.

Our worries can probably be grouped into categories like the bare necessities, the future, and evil.  There is one little word that summarizes all of this … LIFE.  Perhaps that is why Jesus begins where he does,

“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air; they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And can any of you by worrying add a single hour to your span of life?” (Matthew 6:25-27)

“Do not worry about your life.”  What a tough command.  We’re not even allowed to worry about something as significant as our own life.  The psalmist reminds us that ultimately it is a waste of energy to worry about the finality of our life, “Your eyes beheld my unformed substance.  In your book were written all the days that were formed for me, when none of them as yet existed.” (139:16)  Death is a certainty for everyone so you don’t have to worry about whether or not you are going to die.  And, if the psalmist is right and God does know how many days you have, you don’t even have to worry about whey of are going to die because that’s taken care of as well.

For those who are worried about what kind of rewards they will have toward the end of their lives – a good retirement plan, nice toys, the right piece of property and so on – the ever skeptical and cynical Qhohelet, the author of Ecclesiastes, reminds us, “So what do people get in this life for all their hard work and anxiety?  Their days of labor are filled with pain and grief; even at night their minds cannot rest. It is all meaningless.”

The Prophet Jeremiah said it well when he described the life of one who is worry free,

“Blessed are those who trust in the LORD, whose trust is the LORD.  They shall be like a tree planted by water, sending out its roots by the stream.  It shall not fear when heat comes, and its leaves shall stay green; in the year of drought it is not anxious, and it does not cease to bear fruit.” (Jeremiah 17:7-8)

Drought can mean death for a tree.  Yet, in the year of drought those who trust in the LORD are not anxious.  This is what it means to not worry about one’s life.

So, how do we cast our burdens on Jesus?  How do we resist the temptation to worry about our life?  The answer, Jesus said, is, “But seek first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”  The best way I know to do this is found in the Lord’s Prayer.

Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.  Your kingdom come. Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.  Give us this day our daily bread.  And forgive us our sins, as we forgiven those who have sinned against us. And do not bring us to the time of trial, but rescue us from the evil one.

Seeking the kingdom of God begins with hallowing God’s name.  In other words, exclaim why God is holy and worth of praise.  What has God done that is revealed in Scripture?  What is God doing that is revealed in Scripture?  What has God done in your life?  How about in the lives of those you know and love?  Praise him for.  Worshiping has a way of mysteriously moving worry to the side.

Next, seeking the kingdom of God involves asking for God’s will to be done right here and now.  That means we must be willing to be obedient.  We peer into heaven to see how things are and then we go about striving to be that way.  Obeying has a way of mysteriously moving worry to the side.

Next, seeking the kingdom of God involves dealing with today’s needs.  We learn to ask for daily bread and to be content with daily bread.  We also learn how to ask for others as the words, “Give us …” imply.  Asking has a way of mysteriously moving worry to the side.

Next, seeking the kingdom of God involves forgiving and asking for forgiveness.  This means we will have to be willing to practice confession with one another, be willing to go to a brother or sister we know has something against us, and be willing to go to a brother or sister that we have something against.  We must be ready for the hard work of forgiveness.  Forgiving has a way of mysteriously moving worry to the side.

Finally, seeking the kingdom of God involves following.  We follow Jesus out of our darkness and into his glorious light.  Each of us can identify at least some of our own sin tendencies, some of those areas where we are prone to wander away from Jesus and into the nasty habit of doing harm.  It is in these moments that we must remember what the Apostle Paul told the believers in Corinth,

“No testing has overtaken you that is not common to everyone.  God is faithful, and he will not let you be tested beyond your strength, but with the testing he will provide the way out so that you may be able to endure it.” (! Corinthians 10:13)

Jesus invites us in this prayer to ask the Father to lead us out of temptation, to show us the way out.  When we are tempted to worry the Father will show us the way out.  Following has a way of mysteriously moving worry to the side.

E. Stanley Jones, a Methodist missionary to India and graduate of my alma mater Asbury University, wrote these words,

I am inwardly fashioned for faith, not for fear. Fear is not my native land; faith is. I am so made that worry and anxiety are sand in the machinery of life; faith is the oil. I live better by faith and confidence than by fear, doubt and anxiety. In anxiety and worry, my being is gasping for breath–these are not my native air. But in faith and confidence, I breathe freely–these are my native air. A John Hopkins University doctor says, “We do not know why it is that worriers die sooner than the non- worriers, but that is a fact.” But I, who am simple of mind, think I know; We are inwardly constructed in nerve and tissue, brain cell and soul, for faith and not for fear. God made us that way. To live by worry is to live against reality.

Father, help us to cease our worrying and cast all our cares upon Jesus.  Teach us to live by faith and not by fear.  In our moment of worry show us the way out as we worship, obey, ask, forgive and follow.  In Jesus’ name we ask these things.  Amen.

My Soul Magnifies the LORD

It is 4:30 am and I’m wide awake thinking about several conversations I had yesterday with both friends and foes.  How did Jesus do it?  I can imagine him in the garden talking with his Father, expressing his discouragement, disappointment, confusion and hurt.

“Father, I have been obedient in every way and have poured my life out into these 12 men.  I don’t understand.  Peter is so impulsive, always acting before thinking and denial awaits him.  How can he deny me whom he named Messiah?  And what about James and John?  They think it’s all about power and position.  Haven’t they seen me at work?  Haven’t they seen how I serve, not govern?  Then there’s Thomas.  Always doubting, never fully believing.  Andrew and the others are so quiet. Every once in a while they show a glimmer of hope but then they pretty much follow suit with the others.  Finally, there’s Judas.  He has betrayed me.  Me, his friend for these last three years!  I simply don’t understand and now I am at the darkest hour I have yet known asking that if there be any to let this cup pass then let it be.”

At this point I can picture Jesus entering into reflective silence and the words of his mother Mary come to him,

My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has looked with favor on the lowliness of his servant. Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed; for the Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is his name. His mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation. He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts. He has brought down the powerful from their thrones, and lifted up the lowly; he has filled the hungry with good things, and sent the rich away empty. He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy, according to the promise he made to our ancestors, to Abraham and to his descendants forever. (Luke 1:46–55 NRSV)

In that dark moment Jesus recalls the lessons he learned from his mother.  In everything, great and terrible, my soul glorifies the LORD and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior.  To glorify the LORD and rejoice in God.  Yes, glorify and rejoice.

The LORD is not blind and he sees the true nature of each person’s heart and intentions.  Yes, the LORD is mindful of those who humbly serve.  Yes, glorify and rejoice.

The Mighty One has indeed done great things and holy is his name.  Jesus quickly recalls the miracles, the epiphanies, the questions, the conversations and the conversions.  Great things indeed.  Yes, glorify and rejoice.

Great things indeed.  The proud have been scattered and will not ultimately prevail against the servant of the LORD.  Yes, glorify and rejoice.

God is making changes at the political level that will leave the world puzzling for all time – rulers brought down and the humble lifted up.  Nothing that is is guaranteed unless God says so.  Yes, glorify and rejoice.

More than once did the Mighty One feed the hungry masses and disappoint the rich.  That the hungry are filled with good things is a sign of kingdom righteousness.  That the rich are sent away empty is a sign of the danger of the love of money.  God keeps his eyes on the poor, the widow, the orphan and the alien.  Yes, glorify and rejoice.

God’s faithfulness has never ceased from the time of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.  He has helped his people through difficulties and disobedience and will continue to be present and faithful.  Yes, glorify and rejoice.

Finally, one last word comes to Jesus’ mind in that second that seems to linger for eternity,

Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word. (Luke 1:38 NRSV)

And so, Jesus ends his prayer in the garden by saying, “Nevertheless, not my will but yours.”

Perhaps it was these same words of Mary that inspired Jesus to say,

Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me.  Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you. (Matthew 5:11-12 NIV)

So, when we’re hurt, disappointed, betrayed, confused and experiencing our own Garden of Gethsemane perhaps these words of Mary the Mother of Jesus can encourage us.  Yes, glorify and rejoice.

Follow Me (Part 3)

My freshman year of high school I weighed 93 pounds.  The lowest weight class in wrestling was 103 pounds.  I had nothing to worry about.  My sophomore year in high school I weighed 120 pounds … on Mondays.  By the time Thursdays rolled around I weighed 103 pounds.  I didn’t lose 17 pounds every week because I thought I would be healthier.  I lost it every week because I wanted to make weight and wrestle at 103 pounds.  At least I thought I did.  As my senior year came around I weighed 130 pounds and I wrestled 130 pounds.  I still wanted to wrestle, but I wanted to enjoy life even more.

We often try and fail at things more often than trying and succeeding at things.  When it comes to sin we always have Romans 7 to fall back on (you can’t see it, but I have my tongue tucked nicely into my cheek right now), “I do what I don’t want and I don’t do what I want.”  This is the Christian’s excuse for sinning and disobedience.  If I’m really honest with myself it’s not that I don’t want to do something but do it.  Rather, I do because I really do want to do it.  I’m not in the habit of doing things I don’t want to do.  Lots of guys never made weight because they didn’t really want to make weight; at least not as much as they wanted to eat or not run.

Before his transfiguration Jesus has an interesting and honest conversation with his disciples about the cost of discipleship.

Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If anyone wants to come after me, they must give themselves up, and pick up their cross, and follow me.  Yes: if someone wants to save their life, they must lose it; and if anyone loses their life for my sake they will find it.  What use will it be, otherwise, if you win the whole world but forfeit your true life?  What will you give to get your life back?  You see, the son of man is going to ‘come in the glory of his father with his angels,’ and then, ‘he will reward everyone for the work they have done.’  I’m telling you the truth: some of those standing here will not taste death until they see ‘the son of man coming in his kingdom.’” (KNT)

Jesus makes it very clear that discipleship is a matter of the will, “If anyone wants to come after me …”  Don’t misunderstand, you could never want unless the Holy Spirit has worked in you making it possible for you to want.  Us Wesleyans call this prevenient grace, the grace of God that goes before.  Grace is opposed to earning, not effort.  In fact, one could make a good argument that grace is given for the very purpose of enabling our effort.  Before we can follow Jesus we must actually want to follow Jesus.

The implications of this are enormous.  The next time you find yourself staring temptation in the face ask yourself, What do I want more, to give in or to follow Jesus?  I maintain that if you lie to yourself at this point you are going to fail.  However, if you decide that you want Jesus more then the problem is solved.  On the other hand, if you find yourself wanting the temptation more then you have some work to do.  This is where the practices of denying, taking up and following come in.

Once we have decided what we want we can act.  Should we find ourselves wanting whatever is contrary to Jesus we will, if we have prepared, be able to allow in that moment Jesus to transform our desire, our wanting.  This doesn’t happen overnight.  In fact, it is something we must practice everyday.  We begin becoming the kind of people who naturally want to follow Jesus by first giving ourselves up.

Learning to tell ourselves, ‘No,’ whenever we want and being successful is something we can grow in.  This is, in my opinion, one of the benefits of fasting.  For instance, you may wake up one morning and head straight for the coffee.  Instead of indulging your desire make the conscious choice to abstain.  You don’t have to abstain for any reason other than learning to tell yourself, ‘No.’  If I can’t deny myself in something as small as a cup of coffee then chances are I’m not going to be able to deny myself when it comes to lying, fornicating, gossiping, stealing, etc.  Those things are much stronger and more connected to our emotions than a cup of coffee is.

Denying ourselves also involves a healthy amount of self-examination.  Some of John Wesley’s accountability questions can help here.

• Am I consciously or unconsciously creating the impression that I am better than I am?  In other words, am I a hypocrite?
• Am I honest in all my acts and words, or do I exaggerate?
• How do I spend my spare time?
• Is Jesus real to me?

After we learn to deny ourselves … then and only then … can we move on and learn to take up our cross (daily, says Luke).  Jesus was not prophesying about the fashionability of cross-shaped jewelry.  The cross was a torture device designed with one purpose in mind – kill slowly and painfully.  The end result of the cross, always and everywhere, is death.  Not even Jesus escaped this reality.  The cross kills, pure and simple.

This is why the Apostle Paul invites us to, “put to death the deeds of the body” (Romans 8:13) and to “put to death, therefore, whatever in you is earthly” (Colossians 3:5).  It is why he writes to the Galatians, “those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires” (5:24) and “through the cross of Jesus the world has been crucified to me” (6:14).  To take up our cross means putting the old self to death.  First we practice giving ourselves up in both practice and when it matters.  However, until we crucify ourselves, our old selves, we will never know Christ and the power that raised him from the dead.  We will never become the kind of people who naturally obey him and want to follow him.

Having given ourselves up and taking up our crosses we are then ready to follow him; not just in desire but in reality.  It is this reality, this fruit-filled reality, that Jesus is talking about when he says, “he will reward everyone for the work they have done.”  Having the right intentions is not enough.  Having the right desire, as important as that is, isn’t enough.  Unless we act on and perfect (by the enabling grace of God) that desire so that it bears fruit then we will be nothing but branches that fail to produce fruit.

This process is very much connected to the process of repentance.  Until our vision of Jesus expands then our intentions (i.e. desires) will not change.  And unless our intentions change we are not likely to change our means.  However, as we practice denying ourselves (some new means, I think), taking up our cross (definitely new intentions, no one accidentally climbs up on a cross), and following Jesus we will find that we have come full circle.  What we once wanted that was not Jesus gets crucified and what we are left with is Jesus and his promise, “Yes: if someone wants to save their life, they must lose it; and if anyone loses their life for my sake they will find it.”

Follow Me (Part 2)

Now when Jesus saw a crowd around him, he gave orders to depart to the other side of the sea.  Then a scribe came and said to him, “Teacher, I will follow you wherever you will go.”  Jesus said to him, “The foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.”

Another of the disciples said to him, “Lord, permit me first to go and bury my father.”  But Jesus said to him, “Follow me, and let the dead bury their own dead.” – Matthew 8:18-22 NASB

When I was in college I was involved with a campus ministry that would set up a small booth every Thursday with a question written on a white board and a cooler full of soda.  If you got the question right you got a free soda.  This simple idea resulted in a myriad of conversations and even in some conversions.  The ministry was international at heart and on more than one occasion I heard the leaders speaking with international students about the dangers of following Jesus.  Intrigued, I asked them why they did this.  No one ever told me about the dangers of following Jesus.  I was only ever promised a light and fluffy life of “cosmic love and peace my friend.”  They told me that would be unfair to lead someone to Jesus without letting them know that it could result in persecution, dismemberment, banishment or even death!

This vocabulary is absent from the American church’s list of words to describe what it means to follow Jesus.  There is, and always has been, a cost to following Jesus.  The scribe who approached Jesus with the bold offer to follow him did not count the cost.  Jesus’ response suggests that in order for this scribe to follow he would have to become a homeless wanderer.  Now Jesus doesn’t call of his followers to become homeless wanderers.  The man freed from a legion of demons was commanded to return home and tell everyone what God had done for home.  The call to follow Jesus, however, always comes with one stipulation – to move when God moves.

Our God is a God who is always on the move.  Jesus, who is all we will get to see of God this side of the kingdom come, almost never stood still.  To be sure he had his times of silence and solitude, but after that he was on the move.  He even moved on when there was more ministry to do, “His disciples found him and said to him, ‘Everyone is looking for you!’  And Jesus replied, ‘Let us go somewhere else to the towns nearby, so that I may preach there also; for that is what I came for.” (Mark 1:37-38)  The danger, it seems, is that it is all too easy to settle down and get comfortable, even in ministry.  Yes, we must learn to count the cost and always be ready to move forward.

In our own followership of Jesus do we count the cost?  Do we even know how to count the cost?  Do we know how to teach others to count the cost?  Are we aware of when Jesus gets up and moves on to some nearby town?  Do we follow?

Perhaps we understand the first would-be disciple’s situation more than the second’s.  This would-be disciple simply makes a request, “First let me go and bury my father.”  Jesus’ response has produced a myriad of interpretations.

• Christians should not participate in funerals.
• The man’s father wasn’t really dead yet, but he was going to die within the year or so and the man wanted to care for him.
• The man was being obedient to the law and Jesus’ answer suggests that one cannot postpone following him even for the sake of the law.

Whichever interpretation you choose to live with they all share a common thread: there are things that have to do with the kingdom of God and there are things that don’t.  Followers of Jesus are called to leave those things which have no place in the kingdom of God behind, as well as those who participate in them.  Wow!  That’s huge. Not only does Jesus threaten to take away our home (which is, by the way, our greatest symbol of security) now he wants to take away our habits and relationships that are not rooted in the kingdom!  ”Seek first the kingdom of God and its righteousness.”  Letting the dead bury the dead means …

• we no longer participate in the acts of the dead – gossip, hoarding, rumors, lashing out in anger, drunkenness, fornication, stealing, lying, hating, manipulating, triangulating, passive-aggressive behavior, etc.
• we no longer invest our resources in fruitless endeavors – failed or dying ministries, people who refuse to follow Jesus, fixing weaknesses, dwelling on complaints, placing blame rather than addressing the issue, etc.

We cannot follow Jesus on our own terms.  As Dietrich Bonhoeffer writes in The Cost of Discipleship,

If we would follow Jesus we must take certain definite steps.  The first step, which follows the call, cuts the disciple off from his previous existence.  The call to follow at once produces a new situation.  To stay in the old situation makes discipleship impossible. … The only right and proper way is quite literally to go with Jesus.  The call to follow implies that there is only one way of believing on Jesus Christ, and that is by leaving all and going with the incarnate Son of God. (62)

Though the cost of discipleship may be great, Dallas Willard reminds us that the cost of non-discipleship is even greater.

Non-discipleship costs abiding peace, a life penetrated throughout by love, faith that sees everything in the light of God’s overriding governance for good, hopefulness that stands firm in the most discouraging of circumstances, power to do what is right and to withstand the forces of evil.  In short, non-discipleship costs you exactly that abundance of life Jesus said he came to bring (John 10:10).  The cross-shaped yoke of Christ is after all an instrument of liberation and power to those who live in it with him and learn the meekness and lowliness of heart that brings rest to the soul. (The Great Omission, 9)

Count the cost.  Pay the cost.  Let the dead bury the dead.  It’s worth it.  As John Wesley said, “When God calls, leave the business of the world to them who are dead.” (Wesley’s Explanatory Notes)

Follow Me – Part 1 of 4

As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee he saw two brothers, Simon (also called Peter) and Andrew his brother.  They were fishermen, and were casting their nets into the sea.  ”Follow me!” said Jesus.  ”I’ll make you fish for people!”  Straightway they abandoned their nets and followed him. (Matthew 4:18-20 KNT)

Early in college I wanted to go to medical school.  I knew the path was long and arduous but I never have been one to turn back from a challenge.  I wanted to prove to everyone, especially the medical school admissions committee, that I could do everything.  I was enrolled in 21-24 credits in courses like Zoology, Organic Chemistry, Calculus, Observational Drawing, 20th century German Culture, Art and Architecture, Interpersonal Communication, Cellular Biology, etc.  I was involved in some extracurriculars.  I was the President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer and Publicist for five different school clubs, including the Honors Society.  I was going to medical school, especially with the 4.0 I was sporting.

Then Jesus began to move in my life in deep way.  Through a series of intellectual experiences (through reading), prayer, dreams and conversations it became clear that Jesus was calling me to follow him.  At first I thought following Jesus and my own career path choice were compatible.  I would simply be a medical missionary giving 1-2 months of my time to overseas missions each year.  I have since learned that our first choice and Jesus’ first choice rarely lineup.

I had no idea what it meant to “follow Jesus” in this way.  I talked with my pastor and he was concerned that I was going to drop out of school.  I had never even thought that was a possibility.  I spoke with some trusted mentors, Dean and Brian, who ministered on campus and they prayed with me.  I decided to change majors from Cellular Biology to Communication.

I was set.  I dropped all of my science classes and enrolled in several speech communication classes.  Like Peter who returned to fishing after Jesus’ death I got scared and returned to my pre-med route the day before school started.  Everything seemed okay, but i knew I was disobeying.  The first day of organic chemistry class was test of everything covered the previous semester.  I had earned a 98% the previous semester so I wasn’t worried.  I had the test in hand and began to look it over.  The questions were straight forward but there was one problem … I couldn’t answer any of them!  Literally I turned my test in blank.  It was as if my mind was erased.  I confessed my disobedience and withdrew from my science classes.  I realized that Jesus was not calling me to follow him on my own terms, but on his.  And his terms did not involve me going to medical school.

I imagine this is a lesson that Peter and Andrew had to learn as well.  Fishing is what they knew.  It was how they made their living.  One day, as he was walking along beside the Sea of Galilee, Jesus called out to them with two little words that changed their lives forever, “Follow me!”

Jesus’ command to follow him shows up several times throughout the gospels.  Here, Jesus tells Peter and Andrew that he will make them fish for people.  In another place he tells a would-be follower to “leave the dead to bury their own dead.” (Follow Me – Part 2 of 4)  He simply tells Levi, “Follow me.”  He says if we want to follow him we must deny ourselves and take up our crosses. (Follow Me – Part 3 of 4)  Still, he says to another group of would-be followers to forget about having a home, bury dead family members or looking back. (Follow Me – Part 4 of 4)

With this command, “Follow me and I will make you fish for people,” we are dealing with an invitation so all encompassing it can be scary to accept it.  Jesus invites us to lay down our nets and follow him.  He is inviting us to set aside anything and everything we hold dear for a life of following him.  Three things are clear in this command to follow.  First, all we are guaranteed is Jesus.  Second, it involves gathering people.  Third, it is not what we had planned (or were even trained to do!).

First, Jesus invites us to follow him.  Not a denomination.  Not a charismatic, religious leader.  Not our self.  Not a set of doctrine, even if it is Christian.  As important as these things may be Jesus simply invites us to follow him.  We would do well to remember his words in the Gospel of John, “Remain in me, and I will remain in you!  The branch can’t bear fruit by itself, but only if it remains in the vine.  In the same way, you can’t bear fruit unless you remain in me.  I am the vine; you are the branches.  People who remain in me, and I in them, are the ones who bear plenty of fruit.  Without me, you see, you can’t do anything.” (John 15:4-5 KNT)

The goal of following Jesus is this, “… knowing him, knowing the power of his resurrection, and knowing the partnership of his sufferings.  It means sharing the form and pattern of his death, so that somehow I may arrive at the final resurrection from the dead.” (Philippians 3:10-11 KNT)

Second, the command to follow Jesus will involve people; lots and lots of people.  Jesus told his disciples, “I’m giving you a new commandment, and it’s this: love one another!  Just as I have loved you, so you must love one another.  This is how everybody will know you are my disciples, if you have love for each other.” (John 13:34-35 KNT)

Loving people is not easy.  Before we can love people we must learn to like them.  Before we can like people we must learn to enjoy people, to delight in God’s creation.  Perhaps this is how Peter understood Jesus when he wrote, “God has bestowed upon his, through his divine power, everything we need for life and godliness … So, because of this, you should strain every nerve to supplement your faith with virtue, and your virtue with knowledge, and your knowledge with self-control, and your self-control with patience, and your patience with piety, your piety with family affection, and your family affection with love.  If you have these things in plentiful supply, you see, you will not be wasting your time, or failing to bear fruit, in relation to your knowledge of our Lord Jesus the Messiah.” (2 Peter 1:3, 5-8)

Perhaps the church’s greatest evangelistic tool is a body that enjoys people, likes people and loves people in plentiful supply.

Third, following Jesus is rarely something we planned or trained for.  It is important for us to recognize this truth.  Too often we think our ways are God’s ways and that what we are doing is exactly what Jesus wants us to do.  We need to recognize though, that every time Jesus invites someone to follow him there is a change in agenda.  Simon and Andrew were invited to leave the family business and become unemployed, homeless apprentices to an out of work carpenter.  Levi was invited to leave a lucrative financial position for a small Father-Son business with no pay.  The man in the tombs was immediately sent home to become an evangelist among his own family.  The woman caught in adultery was told to go and sin no more.  None of these were qualified or trained to perform their new assignments.  Nonetheless, they obeyed.

We often fail to follow Jesus and gather people.  Sometimes we are afraid of failure.  Other times we are afraid of rejection or ruining our friendships.  More often then not, we fail to follow Jesus because we think we lack the necessary skills.  God’s Holy Spirit qualifies us along the way.  Our job is simply to obey and follow.

We may not be in the fishing business but Jesus is still in the business of calling disciples to follow him.  We must keep in mind that with the call, “Follow me!  I will make you fish for people,” comes the following:

1. There is no guarantee but Jesus.
2. It involves learning to enjoy people, so we can learn to like people, so we can learn to love people.
3. It is rarely something we are prepared for; we must simply obey.

Let us pray,

Jesus, all we want is to know you and the power that raised you to life; to suffer and die as you did; so that somehow we, too, may be raised from death to life.  Help us to learn to enjoy people, to delight in them as you do.  Help us to like people so that we may love people.  Help us be a witness to you and the Father by the way we love one another.  Remove our doubts and fears about not be ready or qualified.  Instead, give us the grace to be obedient.  In your name we pray.  Amen.

The Commands of Jesus

Recently I have been reading through the gospels with an eye toward discovering everything Jesus commanded.  I figure if Jesus’ parting words (in Matthew’s gospel) included the command to teach disciples to obey everything he commanded then I should probably know what he commanded.  I did a quick Google search and found … nothing.  I searched several configurations of Jesus+Commands+Everything (etc.) and still did not come across a satisfying list of commands.  So, I made my own.

You should know this about my list: (1) It includes the commands of Jesus found in the gospels and Acts, but not Revelation (I’ll add those soon); (2) I only included direct commands, not implied commands; (3) I did not include any commands given to the demonic.  I’ve provided the references as well as the command so you can go and review the context.  Remember, knowing the commands is only part of the process.  We must also teach them to others in such a way that they can and will obey them.

The Commands of Jesus

1. Repent – Matthew 4:12-17; Mark 1:15 (cf. becoming like little children – Matthew 18:1-6)
2. Follow Me
1. and I will make you fishers of men – Matthew 4:18-22; Mark 1:17
2. and let the dead bury their own dead – Matthew 8:18-22
3. and … – Matthew 9:9; Mark 2:15; Luke 5:27-32; John 1:35-51
4. Deny, Take Up and Follow – Matthew 16:24-28
5. keep the commandments, give your wealth to the poor and come – Matthew 19:16-26; Mark 10:17-31; Luke 18:18-27
6. no home, no burial, no turning back – Luke 9:57-62
3. Rejoice and be glad in the face of persecution – Matthew 5:1-12; Luke 6:23
4. Let your light shine before men – Matthew 5:13-16
5. Do not think that I have come to abolish the law and the prophets – Matthew 5:17-20
6. Be reconciled to your brother – Matthew 5:21-26; Mark 11:20-26; Luke 17:1-4
7. Do not commit adultery (in regards to actual adultery, lust and improper divorce) – Matthew 5:27-32 (cf. removing stumbling blocks – Matthew 18:7-9; do not separate marriage – Matthew 19:1-12)
8. Let your “Yes” be “Yes” – Matthew 5:33-37
9. Do not resist an evil person – Matthew 5:38–42; Luke 6:29-30
10. Love your enemies – Matthew 5:43-48; Luke 6:27-35
11. Be perfect as your Father is perfect – Matthew 5:48 (closely connected with #10 Love your enemies)
12. Be careful how you practice your righteousness – Matthew 6:1-18; Luke 11:1-4
1. when you give to the poor … (2-4)
2. when you pray … (5-15); (1-4)
3. when you fast … (16-18)
13. Do not store treasures up on earth – Matthew 6:19–24
14. Do not worry about your life but Seek first the kingdom of God – Matthew 6:25-34; Luke 12:22-34
1. about your life
2. about your food and drink
3. about your clothes
4. about tomorrow
15. Do not judge (practice self-examination) – Matthew 7:1-5; Luke 6:37-45; Luke 11:29-36; John 7:14-24
16. Do not give the sacred to the dogs and pigs – Matthew 7:6
17. Ask, Seek, and Knock– Matthew 7:7-11; Luke 11:5-13
18. Do to others as you would have them do to you – Matthew 7:12; Luke 6:27-35
19. Enter through the narrow way – Matthew 7:13-14; Luke 13:22-30
20. Beware of false prophets – Matthew 7:15-23 (also Matthew 24:4-14)
21. Take courage / Do not be afraid / Do not let your hearts be troubled …
1. your sins are forgiven – Matthew 9:1-8
2. your faith has made you well – Matthew 9:20-22
3. it is I; do not be afraid – Matthew 14:22-33; Mark 6:45-52: John 6:16-21
4. only believe – Mark 5:35-43; Luke 8:49-56
5. from now on you will catch men – Luke 5:1-11
6. believe in God and also in Jesus – John 14:1-6
7. I have overcome the world – John 16:29-33
22. Go and learn what this means, “I desire compassion and not sacrifice.” – Matthew 9:10-13 (cf. Mt 12:1-14)
23. Pray for laborers – Matthew 9:35-38; Luke 10:1-2
24. Go to the lost sheep of Israel – Matthew 10:1-15; Mark 6:7-12; Luke 9:1-11; Luke 10:3-16
1. do not go to the Gentiles or Samaritans
2. Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons
3. give freely
4. do not acquire extra possessions
5. stay with worthy people and avoid unworthy people
25. Be wise as serpents – Matthew 10:16-23
1. be wise, yet innocent
2. beware of people who will hand you over to be arrested
3. do not worry about what to say at that time
4. when they persecute you in one city flee to the next
26. Fear God, not man – Matthew 10:24-33; Luke 12:4-12
27. Do not think that I came to bring peace – Matthew 10:34-39
28. If you have ears then listen
1. John is Elijah – Matthew 11:7-19
2. The Parables of Jesus – Matthew 13; Mark 4; Luke 8:4-21, 14:25-35
3. It’s what comes out of you that makes you unclean – Matthew 16:10-20
29. Take my yoke – Matthew 11:25-30
30. Honor your parents – Matthew 15:1-9
31. Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees – Matthew 16:1-12 and Matthew 23:1-39; Mark 8:14-21 and Mark 12:35-40; Luke 12:1-3, 20:45-47
1. obey what they say, but do not copy their deeds
2. do not be called Rabbi
32. Deny, Take Up and Follow – Matthew 16:24-28; Mark 8:34-38; John 12:20-26
33. Remove stumbling blocks in your life – Matthew 18:7-9; 9:42-50
34. Do not despise these little ones or hinder them – Matthew 18:10-14 and Matthew 19:13-15; Mark 10:13-16; Luke 9:46-50, 18:15-17
35. Correct a sinful brother – Matthew 18:15-20; Luke 17:1-4
36. Forgive those who sin against you – Matthew 18:21-35 (cf. also the Lord’s Prayer in Matthew 6:1-18); Mark 11:20-26
37. Do not separate a marriage – Matthew 19:1-12 (cf. Matthew 5:27-32); Mark 10:1-12
38. Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s – Matthew 22:15-22; Mark 12:13-17; Luke 20:19-26
39. Love the Lord and your neighbor – Matthew 22:34-40; Mark 12:28-34; Luke 10:30-37
40. Be ready for my return – Matthew 24:15-25:46; Mark 13; Luke 12:35-48, 17:22-37, 21:10-37
41. Take, Eat, and Drink – Matthew 26:26-35; Mark 14:22-31; Luke 22:14-23
42. Watch and Pray – Matthew 26:36-46; Mark 14:32-42; Luke 22:39-46
43. Put your sword away – Matthew 26:47-56; Luke 22:47-53
44. Great Commission (make disciples by …) – Matthew 28:16-20
1. going to the lost
2. baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit
3. teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you
45. Go tell what God has done for you – Mark 5:120; Luke 8:26-39
46. Practice solitude and rest – Mark 6:30-31
47. Feed them – Mark 6:33-44; Luke 9:12-27
48. Don’t hinder those doing miracles in Jesus’ name – Mark 9:38-41
49. Peach the gospel to all creation – Mark 16:14-18
50. Be merciful as your Father is merciful – Luke 6:36
51. Do not rejoice that the spirits are subject to you – Luke 10:17-20
52. Be on your guard against every kind of greed – Luke 12:13-21
53. Obey with humility – Luke 17:7-10
54. You must be born again – John 3:1-21
55. Worship in Spirit and Truth – John 4:21-26
56. Do not marvel that the Father has given Jesus authority – John 5:25-32
57. Do not work for bread that perishes, but eat the bread of life – John 6:26-58
58. If you are thirsty, drink from Jesus – John 7:37-39
59. Believe in the Light, while you have it, so that you may become sons of Light – John 12:27-36a
60. Wash one another’s feet – John 13:5-20
61. Abide in me and I in you – John 15:1-11
62. Love one another as I have loved you – John 15:12-17
63. Receive the Holy Spirit – John 20:22
64. You shall be my witnesses – Acts 1:6-8

Like a Child

Mark 10:13-31

Most of us, when we were children, probably had hopes and dreams of what we wanted to become when we grew up.  I wanted to be a CPA (and also a computer aided drafter, but without the computers … I still do).  That’s right, a Certified Public Accountant.  I don’t think I even knew what that meant, but I wanted to become one nonetheless.  At some point though I began to grow up and I didn’t want to be a CPA any more.  I wanted to be a doctor.  Mostly, I wanted to be a doctor because doctors were somebodies.  Since I didn’t even know what a CPA was, much less what they did, I didn’t have the same certainty as to whether or not CPAs were somebodies.  (I have since learned that some CPAs are somebodies and others, well, not so much.)

It’s funny how when we’re children we’re not too concerned about status.  I know we wanted to have the same clothes that the “cool” kids wore, but that had more to do with not getting picked on or beat up than it did with status.  However, at some point we began to care about status, about becoming somebodies.  Once, Jesus’ disciples were arguing with one another about who would be the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.  James and John even won’t s far as to have their mom go to bat for them and ask that they receive the honored seats at the right and left of Jesus.  Jesus answered their question – really, our question, too – by placing a little child in front of them and saying, ”Truly I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it at all.”

There we have it.  All we have to do is become children again and then we will be in a position to enter into the kingdom.  Perhaps that is easier said than done.

This passage has led many to speculate as to the child-esque qualities Jesus admires most: innocence (though I have 6 children and I must say even the littlest isn’t always all that innocent); trust; imagination; playfulness.  We kind of like the Hallmark sentimentality of children.  However, the problem with this is that the cost of following Jesus is anything but sentimental.  Following Jesus is hard and costly.

Perhaps Jesus admired (for the sake of entering the kingdom) their vulnerability, susceptibility, utter dependence on others, their lack of pretentious knowledge, their inability to survive on their own.

Consider the lesson at hand (Mark 10:13-31), which, in most Bibles, goes by the heading “The Rich Young Ruler.”  (As a side, there is nothing in the story that indicates the man is a ruler.  Unless you consider that the guy can run and fall straight to his knees as a sign of youth then there is nothing to indicate that he is young either.)  It’s easy to miss the connection between this story and the one before.  After all, this story is about a grown up and we’re accustomed to setting children aside.

The man asks Jesus, “What must I do to inherit eternal life?”  What must I do?  Granted, it is possible to read too much into this one question, but the very question stands in stark contrast to the image of the child who just assumes he is where he needs to be because he can do nothing else but be.  There is very little in this world that a child can do on his or her own.

The point is made even more clear as the conversation continues.  Jesus says, “You know the commands,” and then lists several of them (the ones that have to do with loving others, but not the ones that have to do with loving God).  The man is so excited and says, “I have kept all of these since I was a child.”  Implication – I am no longer a child and I have arrived, I am a somebody and I have the stuff to prove it.

“One thing you lack,” Jesus said, “go and sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.”  But at these words the man simply lowered his face and turned away, for he was one who had much property.

He just couldn’t do it.  He couldn’t become a child again.  He couldn’t give up all his stuff, all the things that made him a somebody.  The disciples are shocked (which is another blog post altogether) and they remind Jesus that they have in fact given up their possessions.  The disciples exhibit (and will continue to) the less desirable qualities of children: they are vulnerable because they have left everything to follow Jesus; they are susceptible to the evil forces of this world; they are utterly dependent upon Jesus; they clearly are not know-it-alls; they have no chance apart from Jesus (John 15:5).

Jesus reassures his “children” (v. 24), as any good parent would do, that though they have forsaken everything, they will not be without in this life or the life to come (vv. 29-31).  And this reassurance, for a child, is enough.

O Lord, let your reassurance be enough for us as well, your children.  May we let go of status and our dreams of being somebodies to embrace the likeness of a child that we may enter into the kingdom of God.  Let us not turn away like the rich man, but turn toward you like a child toward his father.  Amen.

Praying the Psalms

This month I have been praying the psalms.  Every morning and every evening before I rise and before I sleep I pray the psalms.  For me this is as simple as reading slowly and saying, “Amen!” at the end.  At first it seemed like a weird practice but half way into the month I began to notice that the words of the psalmist were becoming my words, my prayers.  Some of the psalms I could relate to emotionally.  Others brought to mind other people and places.  And so I prayed.

I am now at the end of the month and have discovered something new in praying the psalms.  The psalms remind me that people are indeed “fearfully and wonderfully made.”  Have you ever noticed how the psalmists an go from this, “The Lord is King for ever and ever!” to this, “How long, O Lord?  Will you forget me forever?”  It seems that life has a way of bringing us to our knees and when we are down what else have we but to cry out.

Angry.

Disappointed.

Hurt.

Afraid.

Feelings of injustice.

We cry out.  We cry out against God.  We cry out to God.  We cry against those who represent God.  Often doing all three in the same breath.  Sometimes we cry out in denial.  Denying our pain or our shattered hopes.  We believe that if we deny reality then somehow we will overcome.  However, it is only by embracing reality, ultimate Reality, that we can have victory.  I am learning that God is not afraid of my crying out.  After all, he is the one who can, “Search me out … and know my heart; try me and know my restless thoughts.

With that being said I have some friends who are crushed now by the brokenness of creation.  Please pray for them.  As the psalmist writes, “The Lord is near to the broken hearted and saves the crushed in spirit.”  Amen.