He summoned those He wanted, and they came to Him. He chose them to be with Him, to send them out to preach, and to have authority to drive out demons. He called them to be part of a story that was far grander than they could have ever comprehended. Before He began to send them out He explained to them the parables by which He was teaching the crowd about the kingdom of heaven. They saw His authority over both nature and demons. They were with Him when He raised the dead. They followed Him to His hometown where He was rejected.
Unlike those in Jesus’ hometown who had amazed Him by their unbelief, the Twelve believed, and they went out taking nothing for journey but their faith. The message they took with them was simple. “So they went out and proclaimed that people should repent” (Mark 6:12). The result of their missionary journey was that many demons were cast out and the sick were healed. Word spread.
I like simplicity, and because of that I sometimes put life into basic formulas. If I had been one of the Twelve, my assumption would be that the momentum was building. In other words, “bring on the kingdom because we’ve got the king!” However, the story of Jesus is far more complex. Just as the arrest of John the Baptist marks the beginning of Jesus’ Galilean ministry, so too the success of the apostles is followed by the story of John being beheaded.
The story that was unfolding before the eyes of Jesus’ followers could not be understood by human reasoning. Jesus had the power to heal the sick and raise the dead. Not only was Jesus able to cast out a legion of evil spirits from a man, He was able to give that same power to His followers. Why then didn’t He use His power to save John the Baptist from such a senseless, humiliating murder?
Physical eyes cannot see spiritual truth. To become a follower of Jesus is to become part of a story of a Heavenly Kingdom. I am often like those in the gospel and I forget that there is more to the story of my life than the chapter that I’m in. True interpretation of the events in our lives now, as in the lives of the apostles and John the Baptist, can only be seen through an eternal lens.
Friday, May 24, 2019
Friday, May 17, 2019
Blinded by the Familar (Mark 6:1-6)
“The Bible is a heavenly book. If you want one, you’ll need to pray to the God of heaven. Only He can provide you a heavenly book. God is faithful. He always answers those who seek Him with all their heart.”* This was the response of an old pastor who had spent twenty years in prison for his faith when Yun asked if he could see a Bible. Yun had never seen a Bible. The penalty for being caught with a Bible would mean that the Bible would be burnt and the owner's whole family would be severely beaten in the middle of the village.
Yun went home, and every morning and afternoon he ate nothing and drank nothing. Every evening he ate just one small bowl of steamed rice. He cried like a hungry child to his Heavenly Father, wanting to be filled with His Word. For the next 100 days he prayed for a Bible, until he could bear it no more. His parents were sure that he was losing his mind.
This was from the book that I was reading to my grandchildren about a Chinese teenage boy who was the same age as my grandson is now. I lowered the book, looked at Jack and asked, “What do you think about this?”
In my home the Word of God is ubiquitous. When my grandchildren were toddlers I gave them picture Bibles. I have many Bibles on my shelves. If that were not enough, I have two Bible apps so that I can listen to the Bible being read aloud to me. Oh yes, and I can choose to listen to it in whatever version I want. The hunger for God’s Word in a country where it is scarce humbles me to the core.
The Word of God had become flesh and was dwelling among them in Jesus’ hometown of Nazareth. As so often happens in a small town, they were saturated by His presence. They knew everything they needed to know about the son of Mary. Small towns thrive on gossip. By the time Jesus came back to His home synagogue He had cured people of leprosy, driven out demons and even raised the dead. But they still saw Him as the carpenter they had grown up with. Jesus was so familiar that He was contemptible. “So they were offended by Him” (Mark 6:3).
The Gadarene Demoniac, Jairus, the synagogue leader, and the woman who had been hemorrhaging for 12 years had all come and had fallen at the feet of Jesus. No one in Nazareth would have dreamed of falling at His feet! “Jesus was amazed at their unbelief and He was unable to do any miracles there, except that He laid His hands on a few sick people and healed them” (Mark 6:5). Yun not only received a Bible but went on to encounter Jesus in miraculous ways. What does the church in China see that I can’t see? Is it possible that I, like those in Nazareth, have been blinded by familiarity?
*The Heavenly Man*
Yun went home, and every morning and afternoon he ate nothing and drank nothing. Every evening he ate just one small bowl of steamed rice. He cried like a hungry child to his Heavenly Father, wanting to be filled with His Word. For the next 100 days he prayed for a Bible, until he could bear it no more. His parents were sure that he was losing his mind.
This was from the book that I was reading to my grandchildren about a Chinese teenage boy who was the same age as my grandson is now. I lowered the book, looked at Jack and asked, “What do you think about this?”
In my home the Word of God is ubiquitous. When my grandchildren were toddlers I gave them picture Bibles. I have many Bibles on my shelves. If that were not enough, I have two Bible apps so that I can listen to the Bible being read aloud to me. Oh yes, and I can choose to listen to it in whatever version I want. The hunger for God’s Word in a country where it is scarce humbles me to the core.
The Word of God had become flesh and was dwelling among them in Jesus’ hometown of Nazareth. As so often happens in a small town, they were saturated by His presence. They knew everything they needed to know about the son of Mary. Small towns thrive on gossip. By the time Jesus came back to His home synagogue He had cured people of leprosy, driven out demons and even raised the dead. But they still saw Him as the carpenter they had grown up with. Jesus was so familiar that He was contemptible. “So they were offended by Him” (Mark 6:3).
The Gadarene Demoniac, Jairus, the synagogue leader, and the woman who had been hemorrhaging for 12 years had all come and had fallen at the feet of Jesus. No one in Nazareth would have dreamed of falling at His feet! “Jesus was amazed at their unbelief and He was unable to do any miracles there, except that He laid His hands on a few sick people and healed them” (Mark 6:5). Yun not only received a Bible but went on to encounter Jesus in miraculous ways. What does the church in China see that I can’t see? Is it possible that I, like those in Nazareth, have been blinded by familiarity?
*The Heavenly Man*
Wednesday, May 15, 2019
”Don’t Be Afraid. Only Believe.” (Mark 5:21-43)
The light of his life had been eclipsed by the shroud of fear that came with the thought of losing his 12-year-old daughter. Yet there still remained a glimmer of hope. This hope opened the door of faith through which he walked, leaving his daughter on her deathbed in search Jesus. When he fell at Jesus’ feet, he abandoned his pride and his status as a synagogue leader. He became a beggar, begging for the life of his child.
She had been reduced to a beggar. For 12 years she had bled. Hope seemed like a cruel thing to her, because it had led her to seek help from many doctors. She had suffered both pain and humiliation for 12 long years at their hands. Yet still her life flowed ceaselessly from her body. How much longer until death would claim her as his own? Yet still there was a flicker of light. Hope whispered to her heart the name of Jesus.
Because of the blood that flowed incessantly from her body, she could never have approached the Rabbi-physician in the way Jairus had on behalf of his daughter. Her touch, her very presence, would have rendered Jesus unclean. Belief conquered both her fear and the dread of exposure. She felt invisible in the crowd that thronged Him. She timidly reached out her trembling hand and touched the hem of His garment. Her feeble faith was met with healing power. But before she could escape inconspicuously into the horde of humanity, He stopped and asked, “Who touched me?”
He stopped. Jairus’ heart was pounding. His 12-year-old daughter was dying. But his heart was not the only heart that felt as though it would burst through its rib cage. She had been found out! Barely able to walk, she came to Him with great fear and trembling. And like Jairus had done before her, she fell at His feet. He called her “Daughter.” And with the tenderness of a father He restored not only her health but her dignity. He looked at her with eyes of love and told her that her faith had made her well. He told her to go in peace and to be free from the severe pain that had tortured her for so long. She would no longer be considered the walking dead.
While Jesus was speaking comfort to the woman, Jairus felt a black wave of horror engulfing him when he heard the report that it was now too late. His daughter was dead. Jesus responded by saying, “Don’t be afraid. Only believe” (Mark 5:36). To fear would be to withdraw from the light into the darkness; to flee from the hope of life into the despair of death. Jairus’ daughter was dead, but at Jesus’ invitation he had replaced fear with faith. The result of Jairus’ faith was that he received his daughter back from the dead.
Today if you find yourself at the feet of Jesus on your behalf or on the behalf of someone you love, whether you consider yourself worthy or unworthy, hear the words of Jesus, “Don’t be afraid. Only believe” (Mark 5:36).
She had been reduced to a beggar. For 12 years she had bled. Hope seemed like a cruel thing to her, because it had led her to seek help from many doctors. She had suffered both pain and humiliation for 12 long years at their hands. Yet still her life flowed ceaselessly from her body. How much longer until death would claim her as his own? Yet still there was a flicker of light. Hope whispered to her heart the name of Jesus.
Because of the blood that flowed incessantly from her body, she could never have approached the Rabbi-physician in the way Jairus had on behalf of his daughter. Her touch, her very presence, would have rendered Jesus unclean. Belief conquered both her fear and the dread of exposure. She felt invisible in the crowd that thronged Him. She timidly reached out her trembling hand and touched the hem of His garment. Her feeble faith was met with healing power. But before she could escape inconspicuously into the horde of humanity, He stopped and asked, “Who touched me?”
He stopped. Jairus’ heart was pounding. His 12-year-old daughter was dying. But his heart was not the only heart that felt as though it would burst through its rib cage. She had been found out! Barely able to walk, she came to Him with great fear and trembling. And like Jairus had done before her, she fell at His feet. He called her “Daughter.” And with the tenderness of a father He restored not only her health but her dignity. He looked at her with eyes of love and told her that her faith had made her well. He told her to go in peace and to be free from the severe pain that had tortured her for so long. She would no longer be considered the walking dead.
While Jesus was speaking comfort to the woman, Jairus felt a black wave of horror engulfing him when he heard the report that it was now too late. His daughter was dead. Jesus responded by saying, “Don’t be afraid. Only believe” (Mark 5:36). To fear would be to withdraw from the light into the darkness; to flee from the hope of life into the despair of death. Jairus’ daughter was dead, but at Jesus’ invitation he had replaced fear with faith. The result of Jairus’ faith was that he received his daughter back from the dead.
Today if you find yourself at the feet of Jesus on your behalf or on the behalf of someone you love, whether you consider yourself worthy or unworthy, hear the words of Jesus, “Don’t be afraid. Only believe” (Mark 5:36).
Monday, May 13, 2019
Begining to Understand God’s Mercy (Mark 5:20)
Some children seem to come into the world wanting to test the boundaries and challenge authority. I was just the opposite. That’s why for a long time the first set of Bible verses my grandmother had me memorize seemed strange. I worked hard to memorize them, though, because she gave me a flower sticker for every verse I learned. I didn’t realize then that she was planting a garden in my heart that would take decades before it truly blossomed.
The first verse I memorize was, “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all” (Isaiah 53:6). I’d never seen a sheep and I didn’t know what iniquity was, so Grandmother had to explain it to me. I got my sticker but didn’t think it applied to a good girl like me. Next came, “Come now, and let us reason together, said the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool” (Isaiah 1:18). It took me a while to conquer this verse, but when I did I was rewarded with a crimson red begonia sticker. I’d never thought of sin having color before, and again Grandmother worked to try to help me understand what it meant.
Grandmother tried again. This time it was a short simple verse with only one word she had to explain to me: “There is none righteous, no, not one” (Romans 3:10). She explained that righteous means someone who did what was right. I listened politely, but I didn’t think this one applied to me either, because I saw myself as a very righteous little girl.
Finally, she taught me John 3:16, “For God so loved the world, that He gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” Then she asked, “Sarah, what do you need to do to have everlasting life?” I told her you needed to try really hard to be good. She patiently took me back to John 3:16 again and again. I wanted to be good and I wanted to obey, so I tried to line myself up with what God’s Word said. But in my heart I still believed that if I had enough time I could be good enough for God without anyone’s help.
Over 50 years passed before I could even begin to understand the mercy and grace of God. I was standing in front of my church and my pastor was praying for me before I spoke at a camp. He prayed, “Lord, just as You sent the Gadarene Demoniac to tell others of Your mercy, so we send Sarah.” To be honest, I was shocked to be compared to the Gadarene Demoniac. But the decades had stripped away the false understanding I had as a child about my own righteous. I also found that the seeds my grandmother planted had over time taken root and germinated. Now, whenever I read the story of this hopeless man I am filled with both wonder and gratitude that the Heavenly Father would send His beloved Son so that I, like he, could have eternal life. Today I fully identify with the Gadarene Demoniac, and count telling others about His mercy to me one of my greatest privileges.
The first verse I memorize was, “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all” (Isaiah 53:6). I’d never seen a sheep and I didn’t know what iniquity was, so Grandmother had to explain it to me. I got my sticker but didn’t think it applied to a good girl like me. Next came, “Come now, and let us reason together, said the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool” (Isaiah 1:18). It took me a while to conquer this verse, but when I did I was rewarded with a crimson red begonia sticker. I’d never thought of sin having color before, and again Grandmother worked to try to help me understand what it meant.
Grandmother tried again. This time it was a short simple verse with only one word she had to explain to me: “There is none righteous, no, not one” (Romans 3:10). She explained that righteous means someone who did what was right. I listened politely, but I didn’t think this one applied to me either, because I saw myself as a very righteous little girl.
Finally, she taught me John 3:16, “For God so loved the world, that He gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” Then she asked, “Sarah, what do you need to do to have everlasting life?” I told her you needed to try really hard to be good. She patiently took me back to John 3:16 again and again. I wanted to be good and I wanted to obey, so I tried to line myself up with what God’s Word said. But in my heart I still believed that if I had enough time I could be good enough for God without anyone’s help.
Over 50 years passed before I could even begin to understand the mercy and grace of God. I was standing in front of my church and my pastor was praying for me before I spoke at a camp. He prayed, “Lord, just as You sent the Gadarene Demoniac to tell others of Your mercy, so we send Sarah.” To be honest, I was shocked to be compared to the Gadarene Demoniac. But the decades had stripped away the false understanding I had as a child about my own righteous. I also found that the seeds my grandmother planted had over time taken root and germinated. Now, whenever I read the story of this hopeless man I am filled with both wonder and gratitude that the Heavenly Father would send His beloved Son so that I, like he, could have eternal life. Today I fully identify with the Gadarene Demoniac, and count telling others about His mercy to me one of my greatest privileges.
Friday, May 10, 2019
That’s What Love Like! (Mark 5:1-20)
What does love look like? I see it when Jesus led His disciples into a storm. That storm revealed their vulnerability, but it also revealed that Jesus was the Lord of the storm. Fear was replaced by faith in the presence of the Prince of Peace. This is a place where I see Jesus’s love.
What motivated Jesus to go to the other side of the lake? On the other side there was a man who lived in the tombs. He was possessed with the one whose goal is to steal, kill, and destroy. He was empowered by the strength of evil darkness and no one was strong enough to subdue him. Although they had tried many times to restrain him with both shackles and chains, the results were always the same. He snapped off the chains and smashed the shackles. So they, his family and those who knew him, left him to live among the dead. But what does love look like? It looks like Jesus getting into the boat after spending the day teaching about the kingdom of heaven in order to release a man who was experiencing a living hell.
The disciples had just encountered Jesus’ power over a storm at sea that had threaten their lives. But as soon as they stepped ashore they were met by a man who had a storm raging within him. His naked body was bloody and bruised from where he had gashed himself with stones. He had mutilated himself trying to match or release the emotional pain that he felt by inflicting physical pain. Now this creature ran to Jesus and fell at His feet shrieking with an ungodly voice, “What do You have to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg You before God, don’t torment me” (Mark 5:7)! Jesus hadn’t come to torment the man but to set him free from the tormentor.
Jesus began His ministry with these words, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe in the good news” (Mark 1:14)! In the presence of the King of Kings and the Lord of lords a legion of demons had to flee. Jesus gave them permission to enter pigs, and that day 2,000 pigs rushed down a steep bank and drowned there. But the man those demons had tormented for so long at last knew peace. When those whom he had terrified came and found him quieted, clothed, and in his right mind, they were filled with dread. They looked at Jesus, at whose feet the man was sitting, and realized something even stronger than evil darkness was in their midst. They begged Him to leave! And so He did.
“As He was getting into the boat, the man who had been demon-possessed kept begging Him to be with Him. But He would not let him...” (Mark 5:18-19). This man knew Jesus better than His disciples did. His disciples had called Him teacher and wondered at His ability to silence the storm. The demons within this man had known and acknowledged Jesus as the Son of the Most High God. Jesus had come to him with gracious love and had released him from darkness. Now the Savior showed His love for this man and his family by sending him back to his people to tell them about His mercy. That’s what love looks like!
What motivated Jesus to go to the other side of the lake? On the other side there was a man who lived in the tombs. He was possessed with the one whose goal is to steal, kill, and destroy. He was empowered by the strength of evil darkness and no one was strong enough to subdue him. Although they had tried many times to restrain him with both shackles and chains, the results were always the same. He snapped off the chains and smashed the shackles. So they, his family and those who knew him, left him to live among the dead. But what does love look like? It looks like Jesus getting into the boat after spending the day teaching about the kingdom of heaven in order to release a man who was experiencing a living hell.
The disciples had just encountered Jesus’ power over a storm at sea that had threaten their lives. But as soon as they stepped ashore they were met by a man who had a storm raging within him. His naked body was bloody and bruised from where he had gashed himself with stones. He had mutilated himself trying to match or release the emotional pain that he felt by inflicting physical pain. Now this creature ran to Jesus and fell at His feet shrieking with an ungodly voice, “What do You have to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg You before God, don’t torment me” (Mark 5:7)! Jesus hadn’t come to torment the man but to set him free from the tormentor.
Jesus began His ministry with these words, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe in the good news” (Mark 1:14)! In the presence of the King of Kings and the Lord of lords a legion of demons had to flee. Jesus gave them permission to enter pigs, and that day 2,000 pigs rushed down a steep bank and drowned there. But the man those demons had tormented for so long at last knew peace. When those whom he had terrified came and found him quieted, clothed, and in his right mind, they were filled with dread. They looked at Jesus, at whose feet the man was sitting, and realized something even stronger than evil darkness was in their midst. They begged Him to leave! And so He did.
“As He was getting into the boat, the man who had been demon-possessed kept begging Him to be with Him. But He would not let him...” (Mark 5:18-19). This man knew Jesus better than His disciples did. His disciples had called Him teacher and wondered at His ability to silence the storm. The demons within this man had known and acknowledged Jesus as the Son of the Most High God. Jesus had come to him with gracious love and had released him from darkness. Now the Savior showed His love for this man and his family by sending him back to his people to tell them about His mercy. That’s what love looks like!
Wednesday, May 8, 2019
More Than a Teacher (Mark 4;33-41)
What do you believe? I’m not really interested in the label that you wear or the church you attend. What you believe is more than eschatology. Who you think God is, your intellectual response to death, judgment and the final destiny of the soul and mankind. doesn’t show what you believe.What you believe is seen in the dark.
In the blackness of the night when an unexpected storm hits, what do you do? When waves of sheer terror splash over you and you realize that you are not in control of your life or of the lives of those you love, how do you respond? When the Jesus you’ve studied about in the Bible and about whom you’ve heard sermons seems distant and you feel desperately alone in the storm, that is when what you believe is exposed.
When the storms comes and you find yourself fighting against the wind and you realize that there is nothing stable beneath your feet, but instead you are like a small boat being tossed by the waves, what do you do? Storms make you feel isolated. Where do you turn? Do you try to escape into oblivion?
Jesus had spent all day teaching about what the kingdom of God was like. Although He had spoken to the crowd in parables, He had privately explained everything to His own disciples. When the darkness came, Jesus told them that they needed to cross over to the other side of the lake. He was exhausted and fell asleep in the stern of the boat. “A fierce windstorm arose, and the waves were breaking over the boat, so that the boat was already being swamped” (Mark 4:37). They woke Jesus with these words, “Teacher! Don’t you care that we’re going to die” (Mark 4:38)?
Jesus had begun His ministry with these words, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe in the good news” (Mark 1:15)! Jesus had taught His disciples what the kingdom was like, but it was during the storm that what they believed was exposed. They saw Jesus as the teacher. Then they heard Him rebuke the wind and the waves and speak to the sea saying, “Silence! Be still!” It was only after that that they asked the question, “Who is this?” The disciples had spent the day listening to the teacher, but in the storm they learned that He was more than just a teacher. Storms are places where we find out what we truly believe. Storms are places the king leads us to repent and believe the good news. The Jesus they called teacher was not only the savior from the storm, He was the king.
In the blackness of the night when an unexpected storm hits, what do you do? When waves of sheer terror splash over you and you realize that you are not in control of your life or of the lives of those you love, how do you respond? When the Jesus you’ve studied about in the Bible and about whom you’ve heard sermons seems distant and you feel desperately alone in the storm, that is when what you believe is exposed.
When the storms comes and you find yourself fighting against the wind and you realize that there is nothing stable beneath your feet, but instead you are like a small boat being tossed by the waves, what do you do? Storms make you feel isolated. Where do you turn? Do you try to escape into oblivion?
Jesus had spent all day teaching about what the kingdom of God was like. Although He had spoken to the crowd in parables, He had privately explained everything to His own disciples. When the darkness came, Jesus told them that they needed to cross over to the other side of the lake. He was exhausted and fell asleep in the stern of the boat. “A fierce windstorm arose, and the waves were breaking over the boat, so that the boat was already being swamped” (Mark 4:37). They woke Jesus with these words, “Teacher! Don’t you care that we’re going to die” (Mark 4:38)?
Jesus had begun His ministry with these words, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe in the good news” (Mark 1:15)! Jesus had taught His disciples what the kingdom was like, but it was during the storm that what they believed was exposed. They saw Jesus as the teacher. Then they heard Him rebuke the wind and the waves and speak to the sea saying, “Silence! Be still!” It was only after that that they asked the question, “Who is this?” The disciples had spent the day listening to the teacher, but in the storm they learned that He was more than just a teacher. Storms are places where we find out what we truly believe. Storms are places the king leads us to repent and believe the good news. The Jesus they called teacher was not only the savior from the storm, He was the king.
Monday, May 6, 2019
Not Nice But Kind
I saw the cruel and hate-filled image and my heart was filled with anger. However, when the man who posted the misogynistic cartoon commented that “he hugely enjoyed it,” my anger turned to rage! And all of the ugliness I saw in that disgusting picture now became a caricature of the man who “hugely enjoyed it.” But it didn’t stop there, because as my heart became filled with anger and rage, I could almost feel the cruel and hate-filled spirit that I had seen in the picture enter my own heart and seek an expression towards both the so-called artist and the man who posted it. By the way, I had just finished leading a retreat on the topic of kindness.
Now that I was full of anger and rage I had to decide what to do with it. First of all, I knew I didn’t want to be nice. The word nice means to be “foolish or stupid.” It comes from a Latin word nescius, meaning “ignorant.” I by no means wanted to be nice. I didn’t want to be ignorant of the source of this evil cruelty. I reminded myself that my “battle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the world powers of darkness and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms” (Ephesians 6:12). No! In order to unmask and deal with the true evil behind the hate-filled image I could not be nice.
I had to make a choice about what to do with my raging anger. I acknowledged that I was no better than the artist who drew the disgusting picture or the man who expressed his pleasure in it. That was my starting place. But I didn’t stop there, because by the grace God and the power of the Holy Spirit I can choose to "put off my old self with it’s practices and put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of my creator." Humbled, I cried out to Jesus for help.
My prayer was answered not with ignorant niceness, but with the strength of kindness. The sword of His word was placed in my hand. The word of God that has the power to teach, rebuke, correct and train me in what is right. My prayer was a plea that God would show me how to wrestle with not only the cruelty and hatred I found around me, but also with the cruelty and hatred exposed within me.
I realize that because of the kind intention of God’s will He had drawn me to Himself. In drawing me to Himself I was to be consecrated to Him, living my life sustained by His love. In other words, I was to be different, set apart for His service. In answer to my cry for help I heard the words of Colossians 3:12, “Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.” Please don’t mistake my response for being nice. This is war. But my warfare isn’t with flesh and blood.
Now that I was full of anger and rage I had to decide what to do with it. First of all, I knew I didn’t want to be nice. The word nice means to be “foolish or stupid.” It comes from a Latin word nescius, meaning “ignorant.” I by no means wanted to be nice. I didn’t want to be ignorant of the source of this evil cruelty. I reminded myself that my “battle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the world powers of darkness and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms” (Ephesians 6:12). No! In order to unmask and deal with the true evil behind the hate-filled image I could not be nice.
I had to make a choice about what to do with my raging anger. I acknowledged that I was no better than the artist who drew the disgusting picture or the man who expressed his pleasure in it. That was my starting place. But I didn’t stop there, because by the grace God and the power of the Holy Spirit I can choose to "put off my old self with it’s practices and put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of my creator." Humbled, I cried out to Jesus for help.
My prayer was answered not with ignorant niceness, but with the strength of kindness. The sword of His word was placed in my hand. The word of God that has the power to teach, rebuke, correct and train me in what is right. My prayer was a plea that God would show me how to wrestle with not only the cruelty and hatred I found around me, but also with the cruelty and hatred exposed within me.
I realize that because of the kind intention of God’s will He had drawn me to Himself. In drawing me to Himself I was to be consecrated to Him, living my life sustained by His love. In other words, I was to be different, set apart for His service. In answer to my cry for help I heard the words of Colossians 3:12, “Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.” Please don’t mistake my response for being nice. This is war. But my warfare isn’t with flesh and blood.
Thursday, May 2, 2019
Illustrations of the Kingdom (Mark 4:26-34)
In 1906 during the Welsh revival, a 20-year-old man, Watkin Robers, heard the gospel. In response to what he heard he went to India to the Hmar people, who at the close of the 19th century were considered the “worst of the head hunters.” He spent five days teaching the word of God before he was forced to leave. But the seed was planted in the heart of Chawnga. Through amazing circumstances Chawnga’s son, Rochunga Pudaite, translated the New Testament from Greek into the Hmar language. Then he went on to found Bibles for the World. This is part of the mystery of the Kingdom that Jesus described in the parable of the seed.
Jiang Qing told foreign visitors, “Christianity in China has been confined to history sections of the museum. It is dead and buried.” Jiang didn’t understand the mystery of the Kingdom. She didn’t know that seeds of the Kingdom had been planted by a small Norwegian woman named Marie Monsen in the heart of a young girl. She was unable to read or write. The only thing she knew was that Jesus loved her. She shared the gospel with her son. Brother Yun experienced great persecution for his faith, but went on to speak to thousands internationally with the gospel message.
My grandmother died over fifty years ago. It was important to my grandmother for her to share God’s word with me. If I close my eyes I can still see her propped up on her rod iron bed. In my memory I can hear the love in her voice as she read aloud to me. The Bible verses I memorized so long ago still speak loudly to me today. It’s been a long time since I’ve heard my grandmother’s voice, but the seeds she sowed in my heart are still alive.
Many have scoffed at the power of God’s word. Voltaire once said, “A hundred years after my death the Bible will be a museum piece.” After Voltaire’s death the Geneva Bible Society purchased his home and used it for distributing Bibles. Within those distributed Bibles was the parable Jesus told about the seed.
“The Kingdom of God is like this,” He said. “A man scatters seed on the ground. He sleeps and rises night and day, and the seed sprouts and grows; he doesn’t know how. ...” And He said: “How can we illustrate the kingdom of God or what parable can we use to describe it? It’s like a mustard seed that, when sown in the soil, is smaller than all the seeds on the ground. And when sown, it comes up and grows taller than all the vegetables, and produces large branches, so that the birds of the sky can nest in its shade” (Mark 4:30-32).
Jiang Qing told foreign visitors, “Christianity in China has been confined to history sections of the museum. It is dead and buried.” Jiang didn’t understand the mystery of the Kingdom. She didn’t know that seeds of the Kingdom had been planted by a small Norwegian woman named Marie Monsen in the heart of a young girl. She was unable to read or write. The only thing she knew was that Jesus loved her. She shared the gospel with her son. Brother Yun experienced great persecution for his faith, but went on to speak to thousands internationally with the gospel message.
My grandmother died over fifty years ago. It was important to my grandmother for her to share God’s word with me. If I close my eyes I can still see her propped up on her rod iron bed. In my memory I can hear the love in her voice as she read aloud to me. The Bible verses I memorized so long ago still speak loudly to me today. It’s been a long time since I’ve heard my grandmother’s voice, but the seeds she sowed in my heart are still alive.
Many have scoffed at the power of God’s word. Voltaire once said, “A hundred years after my death the Bible will be a museum piece.” After Voltaire’s death the Geneva Bible Society purchased his home and used it for distributing Bibles. Within those distributed Bibles was the parable Jesus told about the seed.
“The Kingdom of God is like this,” He said. “A man scatters seed on the ground. He sleeps and rises night and day, and the seed sprouts and grows; he doesn’t know how. ...” And He said: “How can we illustrate the kingdom of God or what parable can we use to describe it? It’s like a mustard seed that, when sown in the soil, is smaller than all the seeds on the ground. And when sown, it comes up and grows taller than all the vegetables, and produces large branches, so that the birds of the sky can nest in its shade” (Mark 4:30-32).
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