Jesus Ascends to Heaven (Acts 1:8)

Today’s Readings: Acts 1:1-11

Here’s the knowledge you need: you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you. And you will be My witnesses, first here in Jerusalem, then beyond to Judea and Samaria, and finally to the farthest places on earth.

I once thought I needed lots of education to Christ with others. After all, not long after Constantine declared Christianity the religion of the realm, the church became the center of education for the kingdom. Churches held the knowledge of the ages. They produced the books used to teach children and set the standards, many of which we still use today in education.

I found most people aren’t really impressed with a lot of education when it comes to introducing them to Christ. People what genuine experience, not fancy words when it comes to knowing God. Theological terms that come from dusty tomes on the top shelves in the back corners of libraries don’t mean much to the average person. They want concrete evidence that God can help them out of the fix where they find themselves.

I hear from a lot of people they can’t share Christ with others because they don’t know how. They need training. They need someone to teach them the right formula to win others to Christ before they put themselves out there as soul winners. Of course, the last time I read my Bible (this morning) we can’t save anyone. Only God can do that. We don’t win anyone to Him. He wins us to Himself. And I really haven’t seen any magic formula for reaching out and sharing Christ with others. I think that’s why I like the way The Voice translates this verse as Jesus addresses His disciples at His ascension.

“Here’s the knowledge you need…” Jesus doesn’t follow with many words after that. He didn’t quote the Law or the Prophets. He didn’t give them any special process or procedure to follow. He didn’t share any mystical mantra with them. He just told them essentially two truths. First, you’ll receive power. And you’ll receive it to do one thing. You’ll receive that power to act as witnesses of what I do in your life.

That’s it! That’s the magic formula. That’s what He tells His disciples and followers to do. Wait prayerfully for the Holy Spirit to come on you, then witness what that’s like. Tell people what happened to you. Start at home, in Jerusalem. Then share with your neighbors, in Judea and Samaria. Then witness to the rest of the world.

So, I don’t have to be a scholar to prayer and diligently seek for God’s Holy spirit. I don’t have to earn degrees and line my wall with certificates to know God fully and let Him lead my life from within. Neither do I need degrees or fancy words to describe what God does in my life. I can just tell someone what He’s doing right now. That’s what a witness does. He tells in his own words what he sees, hears, feels, and knows is true.

I can do that. So can you. Let’s start!

Join me next time, won’t you?

Richard

Above Animal Instincts (Jude 1:10-11)

Today’s Readings: Nehemiah 7-9; Jude

The deceivers among you despise what they do not understand; they live without reason like animals, reacting only with primal instincts; and their ways are corrupting them. 1 Woe to these deceivers! They are doomed! They have followed in the footsteps of their father Cain, sold their souls for profit into Balaam’s deceit, and suffered the devastation of Korah’s rebellion. – The Voice

Jude talks about the deceivers of his day, but could just as easily be talking about many of the religious organizations today. We have come to the place in our society that almost anything goes. Do what you want. If it feels good do it. Every man for himself. Step on anyone, anywhere, anytime to get ahead. The boy with the most toys wins.

We are deceived on every hand. Unfortunately, too many follow these deceivers because it requires no discipline, It takes no effort. It promotes self over God. It takes us away from the true meaning of life. It satisfies base pleasures instead of the higher order of man for which we were created.

I get tired of people saying their actions reflect our animal instincts. God didn’t create us to be like other animals. He gave us dominion over the whole earth and everything in it because He made us in His image. What does that mean in light of Jude’s words? It means we act instead of react. It means we use our brain and rise above the primal instincts of the creatures around us. It means we obey God and understand that His ways advance us personally and civilization as a whole. It means we are better than the animals around us.

Does that mean we don’t care for the world around us and arrogantly abuse the environment and everything in it? Absolutely not! God gave us this world and commanded us to care for it from the beginning of man. His intent is for us to take care of it, but in caring for the earth and everything in it, we must also remember that we are a higher order. God breathed into man and he became a living soul. That makes us different. That makes us unique in His creation. It gives us rights and privileges, but also gives us responsibilities commensurate with those rights.

Whenever you hear someone begin a conversation with “animals have the same rights as people or are just as important as people,” remember Jude’s words. These are deceivers and do not understand. We care for creation, but we are God’s special creation. Made and formed in His image. Don’t let the talk of animal instincts in man corrupt you and lead you away from the truth of God’s word.

Join me next time, won’t  you?

Richard

How Soon We Forget (Matthew 15:33)

Today’s Readings: Job 12-14; Matthew 15: 21-39

A different time, a different place, a different crowd. Jesus works through the day healing the sick, making the mute to speak, the lame to walk, the deaf to hear. He gives words of wisdom to the multitudes. For three days the crowds grow and just don’t go away. Now they have eaten everything around in this deserted place.

Not many weeks before, the disciples participated in a similar scene and Jesus fed five thousand men plus the women and children gathered around him. But verse in verse 33, the disciples again pose this question to Jesus when He wants to feed the crowd. “Where could we get enough bread in this remote place to feed such a crowd?”

Isn’t it amazing how quickly we forget the powerful ways in which God answers prayer and works in our lives? These same disciples just went through this same scenario earlier when they fed more people with about the same resources and had twelve baskets of food left over to distribute to the poor. Had they forgotten? Did they forget the work it took to distribute those baskets of food? Did they forget the amazement of the people as they watched Jesus break the bread and it just kept multiplying with every piece He tore off?

How could they be so blind as to stand in the presence of this mighty miracle maker and not remember His deeds with bread and fish?

But then what about us? How can we face the simple challenges we face and forget we have a miracle-working God that loves us and has intervened for us time after time? Why do we fail to remember the way He worked in our past and trust Him to work in our present? Do we forget He is the same yesterday, today, and forever? Did our brain suddenly dump all recollection of the fact that He helped us through more difficult paths in days past? Do we not understand that what we face today is just another bump in the road. If He created the world, He can take care of bumps in the road!

As you face whatever you face, try to learn from the disciples’ mistakes. They forgot the past. This was nothing for the Master. Stop for a minute and think about how God has intervened in your life and helped you on your path in the past. If He can do it then, He can do it now. He doesn’t change.

Join me next time, won’t you?

Richard

Nice Easy Task Ahead! (Matthew 10)

Today’s Readings: Psalms 137-140; Matthew 10

Did you ever pay close attention to the results Jesus expected His disciples and apostles to obtain from their efforts as His emissaries? A few would welcome them into their homes and treat them well. A few would listen to their words and repent. But take a close look at the Master’s words in this chapter. He promises rejection, flogging, bullying, name-calling, prison, betrayal, separation from family and friends, and even death. Great news for these fledgling followers! Why would they go out and share the message knowing these risks not only existed but stood as real probabilities for them?

They met the Master, that’s why! He said, “Go!” and they knew it would be okay regardless the tactics men tried to halt the message. Nothing could stop the message. Nothing could stop the power of God at work in His kingdom. They understood God’s math. God plus one always equals a majority. It doesn’t matter what the enemy may plan. It doesn’t matter what circumstance we may face. God plus one always wins when we remain faithful to Him. We may not understand how He is working in the moment, but I can assure you, God wins! Always!

He promises He will give us the words to say, the actions to take, or the knowledge we need at just the right time. That doesn’t mean we can be sloths and ignore studying His word or planning for events or expecting and planning for certain outcomes. But when we do God’s work, His presence in us creates a power house that provides extraordinary results that often cannot be explained except as a byproduct of God’s amazing grace and intervention.

I think about a friend who lost his job recently with no notice and trumped-up charges. Others had told him he should look elsewhere but he had gotten comfortable in his position. Clientele loved him. He was doing a great job. Then in a matter of a few weeks everything went south with his boss and then he was gone.  He’d been there 15 years. His family experienced some recent medical issues that resulted in some significant co-pays. It wasn’t a very good time to look for a new job. But God intervened. God had a new mission for him. He’s happier, feeling more fulfilled, working harder but sensing God’s presence in his work more than he has in a long time.

God will disrupt our plans sometimes with not so nice interventions to show us His spirit is still at work in us and through us. Sometimes it’s not a pleasant process. Sometimes it hurts. But sometimes, we can look back and see God’s purpose and plan in the circumstances we endured. We can see the worth in our suffering. We can use the lessons God gives us to teach others about His faithfulness in every situation even when we can’t see it in the moment.

He never leaves us or forsakes us. He promised!

Join me next time, won’t you?

Richard

He Starts to Pick (Matthew 4:18, 21)

Today’s Readings: Psalms 105-106; Matthew 4

We hear lots of sermons about the kind of men Jesus chose to accompany Him on His journeys. The apostles were for the most part common men. They didn’t come from the aristocracy, but for the most part came from the wrong side of the tracks, so to speak. Fishermen, tax collectors, ordinary men from several walks of life came together to form a band of hand-picked individuals who Jesus would call on to carry on the work He started.

Today I noticed something I had seen before, but never really put together well until today. Here’s what I saw in a new way. Everyone Jesus called was fully engaged at the time of their calling. Peter and Andrew dropped their nets. James and John did the same. Matthew was fully engaged in collecting taxes when he left his occupation to follow Jesus. Their occupations differed, but all worked incredibly hard.

That’s the distinction I find in the disciples as I thought about what drew Christ to them. Yes, they sought the truth He taught. Yes, they were loyal to Him after the resurrection. But as you think about what Christ demanded of them during their journeys together in terms of the sheer volume of work, these men showed inexhaustible reserves of energy during their three years together. Think of the energy it would take to marshal the crowds that gathered around Jesus. Think of the labor involved in carrying the baskets of food when Jesus began breaking bread and fish that fed five thousand men along with all the women and children.

Think about the labor of moving the sick and injured through crowds so Jesus could get to them to heal them. Yet these men continued to stay with the Master and serve Him…tirelessly. They slept in the garden when Jesus needed them to prayer, but how many hours had they worked that day? We don’t know, but I imagine it was a full day of teaching, healing, moving crowds around to get to the Master and then the preparation for the Passover feast.

Is following Christ going to be an easy, carefree lifestyle? I don’t think so. Get ready to roll up your sleeves when you follow in His footsteps. You can bet He has work cut out for you. He has no intention of letting your hands be idle so as to provide opportunity for mischief. These disciples were busy people. Do you meet the standard?

Join me next time, won’t you?

Richard