The Call

10.22.14

Acts 15.9-10 9 And a vision appeared to Paul in the night: a man of Macedonia was standing there, urging him and saying, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” 10 And when Paul had seen the vision, immediately we sought to go on into Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them. – St. Luke's Narrative (ESV)

We had missionaries at Church on Sunday – two of them felt called to go to a foreign country and minister amidst an un-churched people group. The had visited several times and had sought God for direction on where, when, and if to go. Enter the Hazelnut (or as it is called in Oregon: the Filbert).

It seems one half of the couple had been raised on a filbert farm in western Oregon and had taken extensive college studies in one of our universities in horticulture. He knows nuts and how to grow them. (You don’t have to be nuts to be in the Kingdom of God, but it helps.) It seems the area where they want to go and live produces about 70% of the filberts (Hazelnuts) in the world – go figure. He says he can help them double their yield… Wow.

The apostle Paul was having a dream one night while sleeping in Troas. He dreamed of a man in Macedonia who appeared to be asking him: Can you come and help us? Help was what Paul was all about, and the next day he packed his bags for Macedon, concluding that God had called [them] to preach the gospel to them. Had any visions lately? Filberts?

The challenge from the missionary was to use what we have and offer it up to God. Lord take what I have and use it to help others somewhere in the world and let me be Jesus to them while I’m at it. I have a filbert on my desk to remind me to ask God for just that: Lord, use what You’ve given me to help others.

Filberts attract filberts. The need attracts helpers. An God will use whatever I have if I just ask Him to – and keep asking. He’s looking to see where my heart is and how serious I am about going to Macedonia, somewhere else, or perhaps, just across the street to my neighbor. All I have to do is devotedly offer what I have to God.

What the missionaries we had in church and the Apostle Paul had in common was this: they offered themselves to God and expected His call to go wherever, whenever. The call can be literally a call – like on a phone. It can be a call in a dream: Come over to where we are and help us. Or it can be as simple as a stinkin’ filbert – and the knowledge of how to care for those trees so they grow much fruit… The call is the call.

Father, You called Paul because he was constantly thinking about You and how to introduce you to others who hadn’t met You. Our friends are going to a foreign place because they know nuts and how to grow them; and they constantly think about You and how to introduce You to others who don’t know You yet. They’ll share Jesus along the way. Help me to see what I can offer and then use it to help others come to know You – I ask in Jesus’ Name, amen.

Pushback

10.21.14

Acts 13.50 But the Jews incited the devout women of high standing and the leading men of the city, stirred up persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and drove them out of their district. Luke’s Narrative (ESV)

In life there is such a thing as pushback. We might call it friction; we might call it resistance, but in life there is pushback: not everyone is easily persuaded. The greatest pushback on earth in all its history is mankind’s pushback against God’s offer of love and fellowship.

Paul and Barnabas were sent out on their original journey by the Holy Spirit – see Acts 13.1 This is the first time anyone went out on a mission’s trip to share the good news with the unchurched. And the first stop was in Cyprus where immediately the missionaries ran into a magician (a sorcerer) named Elymas. Pushback.

Elymas had the ear of the governor of Cyprus and when he pushed back against the Gospel, Paul pushed back against him: “You son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness, full of all deceit and villainy, will you not stop making crooked the straight paths of the Lord? And now, behold, the hand of the Lord is upon you, and you will be blind and unable to see the sun for a time.” (Acts 13.10-11) And off to Pisidian Antioch the missionaries went.

In Antioch of Pisidia it’s recorded: But the Jews incited the devout women of high standing and the leading men of the city, stirred up persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and drove them out of their district. Pushback. So Paul and Barnabas left there shaking the dust off their feet as a testimony against them. Not anger, not throwing rocks – just leaving the dust behind.

It wasn’t just sour grapes; it was: some will, some won’t, who’s next, and off they went to Iconium. In Iconium the pushback took a strange turn: the Iconians thought Paul and Barnabas were gods: Zeus and Hermes. And when Paul and Barnabas tried to push back the pushback, Paul was stoned and left for dead. Remarkably he survived but the temperature definitely had risen.

Pushback is normal. Really. The enemy of our souls wants nothing to do with God’s offer, and his idea of winning is to watch God leave humiliated and empty-handed. And he wants us to leave empty- handed as well. No catch, no meal. But those who push back against the pushback are the ones the Lord seeks. It’s meeting objections and overcoming by pushing back against the pushback.

And pushback strengthens resolve, belief, determination and a whole host of other things that build our character and cement our devotion to God. It’s easy to get cynical; but it’s noble to deal with pushback and grow past it…

Father, You Yourself have been dealing with pushback for centuries – since the beginning of time. But You are not daunted and You call the dauntless to come alongside You and go where You send, and say what You say. My cry today is, use me. Help me to be one who pushes back against the pushback and I leave the results up to You. Some did; some didn’t: keep going! Amen.

The Question

10.20.14

Job 7.17-18 17 What is man, that you make so much of him, and that you set your heart on him, 18 visit him every morning and test him every moment?

This is the question of someone who was going through difficult times. Job was suffering immensely. Job was trying to hang on and come to some understanding of what was happening to him, and why – and he wasn’t making any progress. And so Job began to doubt.

King David asked in wonder: O Lord, what is man that you regard him, or the son of man that you think of him? (Psalm 144.3) Job on the other hand cried out in misery: What is man that You make so much of him…? I think Job had reached the place where he just wanted to be left alone to die.

I remember when my mother-in-law was dying of cancer and was in so much pain. She had struggled with alcohol at one point in her life but had managed to keep it at bay for many years. And in the latter stages of her battle with cancer she had been found to be using it to combat her pain, I made reference to Proverbs 31.6: Give strong drink to the one who is perishing, and wine to those in bitter distress…

God sees us vastly different than we see ourselves. God sees us the way He intended (and intends) for us to be. We see ourselves differently. God works in our life for good and sometimes the good comes from intense suffering. We tend to think when we suffer that we’ve disappointed God and are getting whacked for it – God sees no such thing, ever.

I suppose the difference is not what we think God is doing to us; it’s what God is doing in us that matters. People suffer all the time. But there is good in that suffering and God is not absent.

Job had only begun in chapter 7 of the book of his life. 7 had started, but 42 was coming.

What chapter do we find ourselves in, in life? Are we at the beginning of our suffering or have we just come through a tough time? Have we learned about God and ourselves, or do we have to go back to class again? God is not unjust, although we may be tempted to believe that.

Father, what is man that You think of him and deal with him? What is man, that you make so much of him, and that you set your heart on him, visit him every morning and test him every moment? Man is whom You love and upon whom You’ve set Your affection. I think the universe doubts You at time. I think the rulers and authorities in heavenly places think You’re crazy. They see who we are and what You’re trying to do. They think it’s a complete failure. But You don’t operate according to public opinion – You know what You are doing. And in every test, every day in every way, may I learn to trust You. Amen.

Bile and Bond

10.18.14

Acts 8.23 23 "For I see that you are in the gall of bitterness and in the bond of iniquity.” St. Peter (ESV)

Two things here: bile (gall), and bond – Simon the sorcerer had both. My question is, what can bitterness do to you? Why did Simon Peter accuse Simon the sorcerer of the gall of bitterness and the bond of iniquity? Bond I get; bile I don’t.

What do we suppose came up inside our mother Eve when she was fooled into believing that God had kept something from her with that precious fruit she wasn’t supposed to eat? Can we surmise that perhaps she might’ve had just a tinge of bitterness that something was kept from her on purpose, and her emotions were used against her to get irritated by it? Makes me think; makes me wonder.

Is bitterness always bad? I tend to like bitter coffee – I’ve developed a taste for it. I tend to like lemon juice on salads. Bitter isn’t always bad. But bitterness in life may be a different matter altogether – bitterness may cause us to do things out of spite, anger, loneliness, betrayal; bitterness is a deep-seated root. The love of money may be the root of all kinds of evil, but those roots grow fast and firm in the fertile field of bitterness.

Simon the sorcerer was bitter. Maybe his bitterness caused him to make choices based upon his worldview: I deserve better than this and I’m going to take whatever I can, however I can. Some people – no really, many – are bitter that way.

And bitterness is creepy and insidious. Bitterness throws an encouraging arm around our shoulder and whispers: God doesn’t really care because if He did this wouldn’t be happening, or that wouldn’t have happened. And bitterness is self-justifiable, a: somebody done somebody wrong song…

Bitterness may at first be a habit someone has, but unless dealt with by the Spirit of the Living God, bitterness may become something that has someone down the road. The harmful but innocent looking things we leave lying around in our hearts may be the very things that lead us to live out a life of bitterness with the most dreadful conduct and consequence.

Our part is to learn to name names. If we always do what we’ve always done then we’ll always be where we’ve always been; and we need to determine why that is so. A reason may be what we’re clinging to in bitterness that controls how we view life, rights, and God. The rose-colored glasses go both ways…

Father, as I examine my own life and conduct, and fight with the things I continually fight with (losing the fight in the process) I pray for eyes to see what is in my heart; to see if I’m harboring something that keeps insidiously reassuring me that doubting You and testing You is both my right and privilege. God cleanse me from bitterness, and may I walk in purity of heart before You – Amen.

In Faith... with Children

10.17.14

Job 1.5 And when the days of the feast had run their course, Job would send and consecrate them, and he would rise early in the morning and offer burnt offerings according to the number of them all. For Job said, “It may be that my children have sinned, and cursed God in their hearts.” Thus Job did continually. – Anonymous (ESV)

I’m not sure even scholarship is enough for the book of Job; at least in attempting to understand it. Sometimes it may be better, when sorting through a pile of paradoxes, to pick the ones that are most promising and the least puzzling, and leave the rest for another day. Job is a pile of paradoxes.

The least puzzling (although it creates enormous questions for me) is Job knew and worshiped God; the God of the Hebrews; although Job himself wasn’t, apparently, Semitic. However, it is puzzling that Job’s respect for God doesn’t seem to have a Hebraic qualifier; somehow, Job seemed to have picked the Right God. That in itself isn’t quite so puzzling because one needn’t be a Jew to worship God (that benefits me).

Another thing that isn’t quite so puzzling is Job’s love for his children as evidenced in his continual offering of sacrifices on behalf of his kids. Dad’s ought to intercede on behalf of their children. Job did this continually.

And I think this is what is so appealing to me as a dad – the interceding on behalf of my kids. I have two out on their own, and one still at home; and wherever or however they are, it is my privilege to talk to God about them. And to ask God’s blessing upon them. And to ask God to keep them safe and to give them wisdom. And to help them sense His presence and power in their lives. And to touch their relationships, to keep them pure. That I do continually.

But I am not in control of who they are – they are on their own in that regard. But my love for them is in no way diminished if they don’t live their lives the way I do. I just love them and try to help them as much as I can; but I pray for them – continually.

Job’s character is called into question in a heavenly discussion of which he had no part or say. Job just dealt with the hand he was dealt; the best he could. And though he fumbled and stumbled, God never once called him a loser or unfaithful. And at the end of his trial he was blessed for having stuck it out with God despite his theological waverings.

Job is in some ways a model for me. I admire his conduct in his trial and I admire the fact that he stuck it out with God. It is a call to me to do likewise and to intercede on behalf of my kids and others that they stick it out with God as well. We all need to be numbered as faithful – even when we stumble and fumble. And we need to pray for others who may not see God the way we think they should – we just might learn a thing or two about our own beliefs in the process…

Father, You knew Job and You cared for him. You blessed him and walked alongside him in his sufferings. You do the same for me. You cause me to pray for my kids. And You’ve never called me a loser. Thank You Father. May I walk with You this day in faith, with children. Amen

Titular

10.16.14

Malachi 4.5 “Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and awesome day of the Lord comes.” God (ESV)

Elijah the Prophet, held a place of fascination and hope in the minds of the ancient Jews – he was like a superhero to them. His extraordinary miracles (in 1 and 2 Kings) displayed the power and presence of God, and the stories about Elijah and his place in Jewish culture were legendary. Elijah was a symbol to the Jews of what they wanted the most: power over their enemies.

So, it is no wonder the disciples asked Jesus, “Then why do the scribes say that first Elijah must come?” They too, looked at the personage of Elijah as one who would free the nation from the hands of their oppressors: those stinking Romans.

But Jesus answered: “Elijah does come, and he will restore all things. But I tell you that Elijah has already come, and they did not recognize him, but did to him whatever they pleased. So also the Son of Man will certainly suffer at their hands.” And a light went on in their minds: Then the disciples understood that he was speaking to them of John the Baptist. (Matthew 17.10-13) So Malachi was right all along: Elijah had to proceed the day of the Lord.

But John the Baptist wasn’t Elijah – to them. They couldn’t see John for who he was and what he did. John brought revival. John spoke of the Lord’s coming. John was Elijah in a titular sense because Elijah really didn’t represent power, he represented revival and restoration. The culture of the Jews had misunderstood who Elijah really was, and why he really came.

Amidst all the other inanities of Facebook are the ‘tests’ one can take to find out things like: what their hippie name is, or where they’re supposed to live; or what their true profession is or, or, or… One can submit to the questions, click, and get the answer: I just found out that I’m Gandalf the Wizard…or some such idiocy. John was really Elijah in a titular sense because of the calling of God on his life – he was the forerunner of Jesus, the beginner of restoration.

Which brings me to us – who are we in God’s plan? How are we to impact our world for the Kingdom? What title do we hold? What is the result of our ministry and presence in the world in which we live and minister? It’s a good question and one cannot find the answer on Facebook.

John the Baptist, always was and will be who he is. But his ministry was like that of Elijah of old and his mission was to turn the hearts of God’s people back to God in times when God was viewed as very far away and unconcerned. Jesus said, “But I tell you that Elijah has already come, and they did not recognize him, but did to him whatever they pleased.” Do we recognize who we are and who we represent in this day and age? And why? Questions worth asking…

Father, as Malachi wrote, You are all about turning the hearts of fathers to their children and the hearts of children to their fathers; You are all about repentance and restoration of all that is right and good. Help me to live out my ministry by being who I am and who You’ve created me to be. But may my ministry have the effect You desire, and the impact in the lives of the people You’ve placed around me – amen.

The Bigger Miracle

10.15.14

Acts 4.32 Now the full number of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one said that any of the things that belonged to him was his own, but they had everything in common. - Luke's narrative (ESV)

I don’t want your stuff – your stuff is your stuff. I want my own stuff. But when you and I are confronted with someone with no stuff then it’s up to us to act and to share – right? And it seems this was the case in Jerusalem those many years ago. That’s a miracle, that others would not consider anything their own and freely share with those who had not…

I’ve heard this discussed for many years as a believer and know of those who’ve lived in Christian communes where this was the practice. I don’t feel necessarily called to live that way, but some do.

I look at the modern church (at least the one that is modern to me; where I attend) and it seems before we go and pool all our resources that we strive for the bigger miracle: being of one heart and soul. Stuff is secondary to a group of people who operate in spiritual unity.

Most churches I’ve ever been a part of have had a ‘quack’ cluster of folks who’ve believed that the Acts then should be the Acts now; what was good for the early Church ought to be the mandate for the Church today. I don’t think we'll get too many to buy into that: what’s mine is yours, mentality; it’d seem un-American to most. But to have us buy into the one heart and soul – there’s promise there. It’s the bigger miracle.

And when the bigger miracle takes place, then stuff is up for grabs and the material needs of the needy are met. Right?

Lord Jesus, may I strive in Your Spirit to be of one heart and soul with those with whom I worship as we worship You. And may Your Spirit guide us together to be mindful of the needy and to care for them appropriately. Help me Lord to follow Your lead and to willingly be a part of what causes the enemy to fear greatly: the bigger miracle of Your people being of one heart and soul in following You. – Amen.