Posts

Posted on

Demetrius – riot starter.

Reading Time: 2 minutes

“At this their anger boiled, and they began shouting, “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!” Soon the whole city was filled with confusion. Everyone rushed to the amphitheater, dragging along Gaius and Aristarchus, who were Paul’s traveling companions from Macedonia.” Acts 19‬:‭28‬-‭29‬ ‭NLT‬‬

“At this their anger boiled!” Riots and angry mobs are very much a human response to what is perceived as something or someone is unfair, unjust or touching an issue close to one’s heart. This disturbance was about the loss of money, but one man decided to make his case public, making it about a supposed personal offense made towards the city’s most beloved icon.

Attaching people’s income to a deeply held religious practices is certainly a recipe for explosive behavior. One Greek merchant is specifically mentioned in the Bible for doing so. Demetrius sparked a wickedly successful uprising by tying money to city pride! He blamed Paul for his loss of idol sales.

First he starts with the truth – the gospel causes people to rethink their beliefs. Ephesus was filled with an extraordinary amount of idol worship attributed to the belief that Diana/Artemis was the god of fertility and the reason for the city’s success. It was world renowned for its citizens flourishing in love, family and wealth. Paul’s message of hope and truth were twisted into a personal vendetta against their way of life. There in Ephesus a 9 foot marble statue of Artemis stood in her massive temple – this temple was one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Paul doesn’t attack their deity, he didn’t demean their little idols or sacrifices to a cold, useless statue. Even the mayor of Ephesus admitted, “You have brought these men here, but they have stolen nothing from the temple and have not spoken against our goddess.” In other words, you got all worked up about nothing. And then the mayor flat out told Demetrius, “If you’ve got an issue, take it to the courts where evidence can be presented!” A calm sensible leader in a highly volatile situation. Don’t ya wish we had such mayors, governors and leaders today? There are so many better ways to solve things rather than useless protests and riots.

Besides, the best thing Paul did – he just told them the truth. But when facts clash with preferences, opinions and personal truths, there is bound to be high emotions mixed with lawlessness and incivility.

Prayer

​Dad,
It seems like over the past couple of years there has been a tremendous rise in both lawlessness and incivility. Folks in cars running over pedestrians, flying through red lights, and darting in and out of traffic at high speed. That along with brazen smash and grab break-ins on small businesses already struggling to make a living. It’s like we are living another cycle of last days. We ache, we cry and wait for justice Oh Lord. Come and make things right in our city, our state and our nation. May Your Kingdom come and Your will be done!

Posted on

Refusing gifts of gratitude.

Reading Time: 3 minutes

“Then Naaman and his entire party went back to find the man of God. They stood before him, and Naaman said, “Now I know that there is no God in all the world except in Israel. So please accept a gift from your servant.” But Elisha replied, “As surely as the Lord lives, whom I serve, I will not accept any gifts.” And though Naaman urged him to take the gift, Elisha refused. Then Naaman said, “All right, but please allow me to load two of my mules with earth from this place, and I will take it back home with me. From now on I will never again offer burnt offerings or sacrifices to any other god except the Lord. However, may the Lord pardon me in this one thing: When my master the king goes into the temple of the god Rimmon to worship there and leans on my arm, may the Lord pardon me when I bow, too.” “Go in peace,” Elisha said. So Naaman started home again.” ‭‭2 Kings‬ ‭5‬:‭15‬-‭19‬ ‭NLT‬‬

After Naaman is miraculously healed of a deadly skin disease, he was not only convinced of the one true God, he was also grateful. When facing death and escaping it via a miracle – gratitude races to the top of the heart. When you’ve been given to, there’s supposed to be a desire to give back – at least when one recognizes how the Kingdom of God works. Naaman came prepared, I doubt the guy travelled with a a caravan of expensive clothes and large amounts of silver just to take a trip to the hill country above Samaria.

Naaman’s gratitude was a key part of his transformation. He wasn’t just healed of Leprosy, he got wrecked by the reality of God’s undeserved goodness.

The shocker is Elisha refused the extravagant gifts.

Naaman insisted, Elisha resisted.

I wonder why? Did he not need the money? Couldn’t he have received it so that he could give it away to the poor?

Money does strange things to people. Obviously Naaman had a lot of wealth and had no problem trying to give it away. And sadly, we know what even the idea of having some money, snuck & tucked away for oneself, did to Gehazi. Did greed just creep in so fast that it overwhelmed the young man – Gehazi just couldn’t let it go. ”But Gehazi, the servant of Elisha, the man of God, said to himself, “My master should not have let this Aramean get away without accepting any of his gifts. As surely as the Lord lives, I will chase after him and get something from him.” ‭‭2 Kings‬ ‭5‬:‭20‬. It was for “Elisha…” – right?! Greedy people always believe they are going to get away with it.

Maybe Elisha had learned some lessons and already figured out that he was just a steward for his own master, he didn’t need to own or keep anything. God was the one that healed Naaman, not Elisha. Elisha just sent Naaman on the humiliating task of dunking his pride in the dirty Jordan river.

After refusing Naaman’s gifts, Naaman seemed so caught off guard that he asked to take some Samarian dirt home with him! Plus – Naaman swore off of pagan sacrifices to fake gods. He truly was a changed man! I love it when new believers get so confessional because the Spirit of God brings freedom in repentance!

As a pastor, I can tell you that it is humbling to receive gifts. Cards of appreciation are definitely encouraging, but I often tell folks who give me money or gift cards out of their generosity – I’m going to be saving this gift and giving it to someone that God directs me to bless! They have to be okay with that.

Prayer.

​Dad,
I love the fact that Elisha refused Naaman’s grateful gift. And, I’m sad that Gehazi couldn’t handle Elisha refusing to receive that much money. It looks like greed, but I have no idea what was going on in Gehazi’s heart. I do see what gratefulness looks like from such a powerful commander of the Syrian army who had it all, but almost lost it because of a deadly skin disease. I hope to live a life of both gratefulness and generosity – I think they go together.

Posted on

When your mentor is missing.

Reading Time: 3 minutes

“Elisha picked up Elijah’s cloak, which had fallen when he was taken up. Then Elisha returned to the bank of the Jordan River. He struck the water with Elijah’s cloak and cried out, “Where is the Lord, the God of Elijah?” Then the river divided, and Elisha went across.” ‭‭2 Kings‬ ‭2‬:‭13‬-‭14‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Just moments before these verses, the agreement for Elisha to succeed Elijah had just barely made the deadline of God whisking Elijah off to heaven in spectacular style – fire driven horses and chariot, flaming from the sky scooping up Elijah in a whirlwind. Elijah’s cloak comes floating down to the ground at Elisha’s feet! Elisha had just asked Elijah for a double portion of the power God entrusted in His prophet. Elijah kinda shrugged it off – yeah, we’ll see.

Then we find Elisha standing alone in the field. Elisha had just witnessed a most unexpected, extraordinary miracle, but as he stands there, he realizes, “I have no idea what to do now!” Elijah’s last order was to stay in Jericho, but Elisha refused, not wanting to let Elijah out of his sight.

What does one do when your mentor has moved on? Now, Elisha would be self directed, depending completely on the Lord to lead him. And in that awkward silence, Elisha picks up Elijah’s cloak and walks back to the edge of the Jordan river, where he and Elijah had previously seen God miraculously part the water to walk across on dry land. As Elisha stood there, the Bible reveals his anxious heart when it says, he struck the water and cried out. It reminds me of Moses and his hit-the-rock moment!

Oftentimes, I’ve noticed, the Old Testament prophets had shown a wide variety of real emotions, mostly angsty, deeply dark and moody. Sure, the miracles are amazing, but prophets obviously carried the difficult weight of delivering God’s word often to leaders who did not want to listen and definitely did not want to obey God. After the water parting, Elisha did go on to perform twice as many miracles as his mentor, Elijah – https://bit.ly/ElishaMiracles. The Talmud records that Elisha struggled with this anger his whole life, eventually becoming the cause of his own death, “The Talmud teaches, Sotah 47a, that Elisha had been sick with the same sickness twice before and he recovered. His sicknesses were a punishment for his having behaved in a harsh way twice. Once, when he cursed the youths who had behaved in such an insolent fashion towards him. The second time was when he excommunicated Gechazi and cursed him with Tzara’at (a form of spiritual leprosy).” Even though God used Elisha in extraordinary ways, Elisha could not get free from his own issues. Even after Elisha’s death, it’s recorded that his own bones had the power to bring a dead man back to life! According to 2 Kings 13:21, a corpse touched Elisha’s bones and was restored to life!

Elisha’s life and calling from God tells a story as well. Was Elisha too young? He was probably in his twenties when Elijah met him in his family’s field. Was his time with Elijah too short? He served under Elijah for six years. Was Elisha influenced by Elijah’s own self esteem and even depression towards the end of his own ministry?

Sometimes, with folks that have “seen it all” in ministry have a darker reality of what ministry really looks like. Personally, I watched the effects of longtime ministry on my own mentors. It changed them, it seemed to have sucked some of the joy and faith out of them. Whatever it was, I often said, “I had no interest of sitting in that seat of leadership.” I wonder how much of all that Elijah faced impacted Elisha?

Prayer

​Dad,
As I read about Elijah’s life and ministry calling and compared it to Elisha’s, I realized – everyone has issues they have to deal with from within. Ministry calling, although fulfilling in so many ways, is also an exposure to the full gamma of human expression from the people we serve. The highest of highs, but also the lowest of lows! I’ve seen people behaving at their best, as well as at their worst. I’m privy to the most private behaviors in families and relationships. It is a lot to carry. At this season of life, I understand far better of how the world works, the church works and how hard it is to keep our souls in shape before you. Thank you for your long suffering grace as we do life over the long haul.

Posted on

We’ve all got big debts.

Reading Time: 4 minutes

“Then Jesus told him this story: “A man loaned money to two people—500 pieces of silver to one and 50 pieces to the other. But neither of them could repay him, so he kindly forgave them both, canceling their debts. Who do you suppose loved him more after that?” Simon answered, “I suppose the one for whom he canceled the larger debt.” “That’s right,” Jesus said. ‭‭Luke‬ ‭7‬:‭41‬-‭43‬ ‭NLT‬‬

While sitting with the upper echelons of society, those so squeaky clean, so raucously righteous, that it would intimidate anyone that couldn’t match or surpass their religious reputations – Jesus has a meal with some Pharisees! Have you ever been around folks that “out-classed” you? I have!

I went to a nonprofit meetup with a friend and told a story to a group of folks there. It was about young boy in foster care who had never had a birthday party. I shared that his foster siblings, overhearing his claim, challenged their brother’s memory about not having a birthday party. “Yes, you’ve had one,” one of them said. The boy protested, “nuh uh.” The older sister said, “Remember the time they (foster parents) took us to Jack in the box.” Trying to remember, but unable to do so, his sister said, “Remember they bought you a hamburger.” Still puzzled, the boy shrugged his shoulders, reluctantly agreeing. His then sister said, “that was your birthday party.”

One time, one Jack in the box burger – no wonder at 8 years old he couldn’t remember ever being celebrated for being born.

Now, with a group of people leaning in to hear the rest of the story, I said, “can you believe it, the only thing he received was a crummy burger from Jack in the box.” There was a visible gasp from everyone except for one woman who said, “well, I think a Jack in the box burger is a pretty good gift.” The friend who invited me to the upscale mixer then said, “Glenn I’d like you to meet the wife of the CEO of Jack in the box.” I was mortified… and out-classed.

Was Jesus comfortable being in a room full of highly educated, wealthy and powerful men, He felt more accepted among the poor and needy. But there was no way that Jesus was out-classed! I am amazed at Jesus’ ability to NOT be shocked by someone’s behavior, social status, nor their past. Jesus was Mr. Cool, vibing or grounded around common humanity.

Isn’t it interesting that Jesus told a story about indebtedness? I don’t know how many of the Pharisees experienced debt while they were clawing their way up the religious ladders of success. Debt is a crushing but normal experience among people. No one likes to be in debt! Ah, but there are plenty of money lenders who love debt – especially when money is owed to them. It’s power over desperation – right? I believe the Pharisees around the table knew more about loaning money and collecting debts than they knew about the pressures of paying it back. Or, maybe Jesus knew that some in the room were dealing with debt.

But the story Jesus tells isn’t about sin and forgiveness or status, it was about debt and gratitude. Jesus gets their mind off their judgmental attitude, “Jesus doesn’t know who this woman is,” to thinking about the posture of being forgiven from massive debt. So Jesus could get them thinking about a mixture of social and spiritual awareness, about humility and gratitude. They could see the splinters of sin in the woman’s life, yet could not see the logs of sin in their own eyes.

They did not recognize God in the room and did appropriately act in reverence by washing Jesus feet (cleansing) and anointing his head (holiness). But the woman, so scorned and low in status, both washed and anointed Jesus’ feet, both acts of pure, grateful humility. How could such a woman of the streets read the room and recognize God more than the guys that worked for God? Because, even though religions and the world celebrates pride, the Bible says, God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble” (Proverbs 3:34, 1 Peter 5:5 & James 4:6).

The Pharisees did not understand that their own hearts were deeply in debt. The woman, knowing her own heart, did. The woman left the dinner party FREE – “Jesus said to the woman, “Your sins are forgiven.” The Pharisees on the other had sunk deeper into debt saying, “Who is this man, that he goes around forgiving sins?” What will it take for us to understand our own indebtedness and come to Jesus in humble gratitude, instead of comparing to the sins of those around us there by leaving with bitterness instead of forgiveness?

Prayer

​Dad,
I see my past and present sins! I am completely aware that I wasn’t just a sinner in the past, I am a sinner still today. Your grace and forgiveness feel more powerful in forgiving my debts now – this absolutely helps me forgive others and see them through mercy rather than judgement. I’m so busy ejecting logs out of my eyes that I rarely have time to examine the specs in other’s eyes. But, you know what really bothers me? Being around others with little spiritual awareness to see their own debt while questioning the sinfulness of others. We’ve got to daily die to our pharisaical observations, and see people through your eyes! Help us in this O Lord.

Posted on

Modern Politicians

Reading Time: 3 minutes

“Hide me from the plots of this evil mob, from this gang of wrongdoers. They sharpen their tongues like swords and aim their bitter words like arrows. They shoot from ambush at the innocent, attacking suddenly and fearlessly. They encourage each other to do evil and plan how to set their traps in secret. “Who will ever notice?” they ask. As they plot their crimes, they say, “We have devised the perfect plan!” Yes, the human heart and mind are cunning.” ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭64‬:‭2‬-‭6‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Is it just me, or does David’s enemies sound a lot like today’s politicians?

We know that David wrote this under severe persecution by king Saul. We also know that God withdrew His Spirit from Saul and gave him a tormenting spirit because Saul had willfully disobeyed God and refused to come clean about it 1 Samuel 15:26 & 16:14. Plus, God had already chosen and anointed David as the future king of Israel, but allowed Saul to continue as king for 22 more years. Saul spent the rest of his miserable, neutered life chasing down David to kill him. He was unable to do so because God was protecting David.

These words, in this psalm, were oddly given to the choir director to turn into a song (what a weird song). A song about the frustrating moments that David experienced. These evil issues often come with leaders and politicians when they’ve lost their ability to see, speak or lead with integrity. David records the mindset of these kinds of leaders.

They plot! They spend all their energy on conniving, convincing and controlling rather than leading to a positive future. They fight invisible enemies with worthless words that do not inspire greatness, they only instill fear and divisiveness. They aim their bitter words at all that oppose them. They conspire with others, those magnetized by the promise of power and position. They shrewdly scheme to set traps in hopes that no one will ever find out they are buried in bitterness with no hope of fixing the problems of their people. Their hearts are too perverse to solve humanity’s problems. True leaders don’t attack people, they attack the problems! They don’t blame others, they rise to solve the issue, injecting hope and confidence in others.

At this point in David’s life, his faith was in God who would deal with Saul directly, “But God himself will shoot them with his arrows, suddenly striking them down. Their own tongues will ruin them, and all who see them will shake their heads in scorn,” Psalms‬ ‭64‬:‭7‬-‭8‬.

Prayer

​Dad,
Things haven’t changed much, have they? We are still the broken, selfishly driven people that got booted out of the garden! Oh, and when we get a little power and get a little cash – it quickly goes to our head and chills our heart. You are still the same though – yesterday, today and forever. You still see us, know us and grieve over the dumb, unjust ways we live, rule and reign. And, even though I know David was a man after your own heart, he didn’t fare that well either. When he was at the top of his game and his rooftop he lost it all by lusting after the neighbor. The wife of one of his best warriors. Uriah had no idea what was coming. I am so grateful that your long suffering has put up with us for so long. Yet, I know all this will come to the end and then there’s the judgement. Even though my sin is covered by Jesus’ sacrifice, I will still be held accountable for every gift, every moment I squandered; every decision I’ve made as a Pastor. But… at least I’m not a king nor politician 😬.

Posted on

I’m in.

Reading Time: 3 minutes

“Don’t forget that you Gentiles used to be outsiders. You were called “uncircumcised heathens” by the Jews, who were proud of their circumcision, even though it affected only their bodies and not their hearts. In those days you were living apart from Christ. You were excluded from citizenship among the people of Israel, and you did not know the covenant promises God had made to them. You lived in this world without God and without hope. But now you have been united with Christ Jesus. Once you were far away from God, but now you have been brought near to him through the blood of Christ.” ‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭2‬:‭11‬-‭13‬ ‭NLT‬‬

The Apostle Paul makes a bold and unpopular statement for some in the first century Church (Judaizers). He writes to the Ephesians about their previous status among the Jewish community – they were outsiders. The Jewish males were the “cut ones” as in “cutting a contract.”

Starting with Abraham, God covenanted with him by having him remove the foreskin on his baby-maker. Each and every Jewish male thereafter would do the same. If a non-Jew were to convert to Judaism, the first thing they would do is be circumcised. It was a physical sign of keeping the contract with God. From very far back in history the Jewish people only saw two kinds of humans, those covenanted with God (circumcised) and those outside of His kingdom and His promises (uncircumcised). The uncircumcised were considered to be heathens or pagans (worshipping other gods).

Contracts back in ancient times were often “cut” with some kind of blood involved. Men would often place their hand on the inside of the other’s thigh and recite the promise, but it was sealed or certified by the blood sacrifice of a living animal. God made this kind of contract/covenant with Abraham in Genesis 15. Abraham, at 99 years old was circumcised and also told to make sure that every male from then on would also be circumcised. ”This is the covenant that you and your descendants must keep: Each male among you must be circumcised. You must cut off the flesh of your foreskin as a sign of the covenant between me and you. From generation to generation, every male child must be circumcised on the eighth day after his birth. This applies not only to members of your family but also to the servants born in your household and the foreign-born servants whom you have purchased. All must be circumcised. Your bodies will bear the mark of my everlasting covenant. Any male who fails to be circumcised will be cut off from the covenant family for breaking the covenant” Genesis‬ ‭17‬:‭10‬-‭14‬.

We can clearly see how the Jewish people would come to understand only two groups of people – God’s covenanted and those not! What the New Testament Jewish people could not understand, because of their lack of belief in Jesus as the Messiah, is that Jesus’ death was the final and forever blood covering of sin and fulfillment of the contractual obligations for anyone who believes in Him, turning from sin and having faith in God.

Paul is simply reminding the Jews and Gentiles that Jesus has performed a completely different kind of circumcision – one of the heart! Now, as a non-Jewish person I am all in! A heathen, a sinner, saved by grace through faith alone, adopted into the family of God and grafted into the “root of Jesse.”

Prayer

​Dad,
Feeling like an outsider for the early part of my life, I am thrilled to be an insider as a part of Your family. Plus, I get to be TWICE adopted! Once at four years old and then at fifteen years old when was born again 🙌🏼. I love to see your covenant promises made and even more so to see you being faithful to keeping them from then and still today. Your love and faithfulness endure forever!

Posted on

God puts out a hit on Ahab.

Reading Time: 3 minutes

“When he arrived there, he found Jehu sitting around with the other army officers. “I have a message for you, Commander,” he said. “For which one of us?” Jehu asked. “For you, Commander,” he replied. So Jehu left the others and went into the house. Then the young prophet poured the oil over Jehu’s head and said, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: I anoint you king over the Lord’s people, Israel. You are to destroy the family of Ahab, your master. In this way, I will avenge the murder of my prophets and all the Lord’s servants who were killed by Jezebel. The entire family of Ahab must be wiped out. I will destroy every one of his male descendants, slave and free alike, anywhere in Israel.”2 Kings‬ ‭9‬:‭5‬-‭8‬ ‭NLT‬‬

God spoke to Elisha and gave him instructions to send out his student prophet to a difficult assignment- the assassination of Ahab, the wicked king of Israel. But before doing that, the young prophet must anoint and install a new king.

Elisha was VERY specific. He told him to take the olive oil, go to Ramoth-gliead, find Jehu, get him alone in a room and pour the oil over his head. Then, to tell him the Lord has anointed him to be the king of Israel. Last step – run for your life! The prophet did as Elisha instructed, but either added the following or we are not privy to what Elisha told him to say.

Either way, the rest of the message was an order for Jehu to elliminate Ahab’s entire family lineage. God said He would avenge the murders of his prophets and servants killed by Jezebel’s orders. And, in a very NSFW moment, the prophet tells Jehu what to do with Jezebel’s dead body! He says, “Dogs will eat Ahab’s wife Jezebel at the plot of land in Jezreel, and no one will bury her.” Then the young prophet opened the door and ran just like Elisha told him to do. If you want to read about Jezebel’s gruesome end, you’ll find it in ‭‭2 Kings‬ ‭9‬:‭32‬-‭37‬.

God says he owns and operates vengeance because He is the only one who can handle it properly. God is always true, just and right – Vengeance is Mine, I will repay, He says in Deuteronomy 32:35. Not only does God properly handle vengeance and retribution, He knows it is toxic poison for us to handle even the smallest amount of it. Humans feel that holding onto revenge makes us powerful- it does not. It makes us weak! Holding onto anger, grudges and thoughts of revenge not only tears holes in our soul but it also hardens our heart. It gives the deceiver, the liar and thief, a foothold to enter into our mind causing havoc and irreparable damage.

The only way to escape the devastating fires of rage and fury is to give our grievances to God and let forgiveness flow freely. Forgiveness does not mean the perpetrator goes free, it means that we are set free of the self afflicted prison that revenge will bring. Let God be our champion of justice and not our own seething and planning our enemy’s demise!

Prayer

​Dad,
One of the greatest and hardest lessons as a young believer was the time you told me to forgive my third father – my stepfather, Ben. He was viscously evil, with a super hard heart and burned out conscience. I knew he had a hard life himself, but he turned bitter and took it out on those closest to him. When you told me to forgive him, I had no understanding of why I or anyone should forgive him. But I was learning obedience and did what you asked. I told him to his face, “I forgive you for what you have done to my mother and sister!” His response was to laugh at me in most wicked voice. But as I walked away, I knew I was FREE of him! Free of his damaging words and free of the fear he brought into our family. I learned that forgiveness is powerful to the victim and shocking to the offender. Thank you for teaching me while I was so young. Learning forgiveness instead of revenge has kept my enemy list down to zero!

Posted on

Snag a sober deal!

Reading Time: 2 minutes

“So be careful how you live. Don’t live like fools, but like those who are wise. Make the most of every opportunity in these evil days. Don’t act thoughtlessly, but understand what the Lord wants you to do. Don’t be drunk with wine, because that will ruin your life. Instead, be filled with the Holy Spirit, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs among yourselves, and making music to the Lord in your hearts. And give thanks for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” ‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭5‬:‭15‬-‭20‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Paul packs a lot of practical theology in these punchy thoughts. Starting with an admonition about how to live – not like fools, but like those who are wise. Paul follows it up with an interesting choice of words, communicating the urgency of a moment. He uses a popular business word, even more specific, he uses a SHOPPING word. Where most Bible translations say, “opportunity,” “use of time,” KJV uses the word, “redeem.” The Greek word Paul uses is, “exagorazó.” The word literally means, “buy-up at the marketplace” – properly, take full advantage of, seizing a buying-opportunity.” This word was popular and often used in the open-air, outdoor swap-meet style shopping experiences in most of the big cities. Paul equates the times of seeing evil everywhere as the perfect occasion to snag a moment with a hurting soul – more evil = more opportunities.

Paul then seems to understand that when times get crazy and everything feels chaotic, people tend to turn to ways that attempt to deaden or avoid their pain with alcohol. The common idea is wine solves lots of problems, not just of pain but of giving euphoric feelings as well. He comes out strong with the truth – drunkenness will destroy a life, not make it better.

But wait there’s more! Not only can the Holy Spirit lead us to amazing deals to broker love with a broken soul, He also brings life when we drink Him up, being filled! The amazing play on words, don’t be “methuó,” drunk with wine, but be “pléroó,” soaked in the Holy Spirit! The Holy Spirit brings life, not pain. The Holy Spirit brings freedom, not addiction!

Prayer

​Dad,
You work your wonders in spectacularly mysterious ways! I love Paul’s observation of opportunities. Among the normal ways we go about life, there are these micro-moments to share and shine the light of Jesus. This constantly challenges me to rethink the way I spend my time and how I look at people as I go about my day. I love deals and discounts, but rarely thought of these same concepts as a way of seeing needs around me. And, Paul’s bonus thought to be soaked in the Spirit verses soaked in booze is genius! Thank you for your Word working in us and through us at any and every moment we give you.

Posted on

Faith found outside the faithful.

Reading Time: 2 minutes

“When Jesus had finished saying all this to the people, he returned to Capernaum. At that time the highly valued slave of a Roman officer was sick and near death. When the officer heard about Jesus, he sent some respected Jewish elders to ask him to come and heal his slave. So they earnestly begged Jesus to help the man. “If anyone deserves your help, he does,” they said, “for he loves the Jewish people and even built a synagogue for us.” ‭‭Luke‬ ‭7‬:‭1‬-‭5‬ ‭NLT‬‬

While preparing a sermon, I researched the miracles Jesus performed and focused on two areas. One: how many were intentional? Two: how many were the results of interruptions? I was most interested in the interruptions. Nine of the “interruptions” occurred among Jewish individuals. Two of them among Gentiles individuals.

This story of the Roman Centurion is one of those miracles. And, amazingly, both this one and the other Gentile miracle (Canaanite Woman in Mark 7:24–30; Matthew 15:21–28), Jesus complimented the individuals for their extraordinary faith. While on the way to the Centurion’s house, friends of the soldier meet Jesus and tell him just to send his word! Jesus said, “I tell you, I haven’t seen faith like this in all Israel!” And similarly with the Gentile woman, who responded to Jesus with a sassy, snappy answer. Jesus kicked out a demon from her little girl and complimented the woman, “Dear woman,” Jesus said to her, “your faith is great.” What I love about these two miracles picks up the thread of God’s love and grace for the whole world. Some of the healings in the Old Testament were among Gentiles as well – remembered Naaman and his seven river-dip? The message of freedom and forgiveness came through Israel, but was always extended to all people, all nations.

I think sometimes as church folk, we start seeing our world as Israel saw themselves, God’s people. It’s hard for us to think or see non-churched, not yet believers as having faith. Jesus not only saw non-Jewish people in their pain, he also saw them in their capacity of faith! Where there is fear, there is need. Where there is grief, there is need. Where there is compassion for another, there is need. And, with fear, grief, compassion or pain, there is opportunity for great faith in God.

When we see others struggling we can either say, “Oh, I don’t know how they do life without God.” Or, we can say, “There may be a possibility of Jesus showing up through me to show love, grace, kindness and compassion.” We might be surprised to see faith rise to not just let Jesus in to help, but to let him be their savior as well.

Prayer

​Dad,
I know that are still seeking and saving the lost. You are still going beyond just Your people, Israel and those who believe Jesus is the Messiah into the hearts and lives of Gentiles – Non Jewish, non believers. Your grace and mercy knows no bounds and can touch the hardest of hearts, the extreme of prodigals. And, I know, It won’t always be so. You told us that you would not contend with humans forever, for there is a time where death comes to all. But while there is still time, still light – there is still possibility for those we love and those we pray will know you and love you.

Posted on

United we stand.

Reading Time: 2 minutes

“Therefore I, a prisoner for serving the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of your calling, for you have been called by God. Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love. Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace. For there is one body and one Spirit, just as you have been called to one glorious hope for the future.” ‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭4‬:‭1‬-‭4‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Paul, writing to the churches in Ephesus, from prison, calls out followers of Jesus to be unified under the fact that there is but one body and one Spirit. There may be factions of belief, but there should not be fractures of behavior towards one another. Why? Paul tells the Church, unity reflects our calling!

As a follower of Jesus, fully committed to his Lordship over all things, our individual and community calling is from God. Because of that, Paul lists the actions, the behaviors of our calling – humility, gentleness, patience and tolerance because of love. The letter to the Ephesians was primarily based on the theme of unity. Paul sent Timothy there to pastor the church, eventually leading up to Timothy becoming a bishop over the entire region. The ancient city now lies in ruins with thousands of tourists passing through marveling at its once magnificent structures, even highlighting several multi-level, apartment style homes. Ephesus today, once home to Jesus’ mother Mary and the burial place of the Apostle John only has a handful of believers along with a very old Catholic monastery.

Unity in the Church today is still as vital as ever. Yet, with thousands of denominational factions and ministerial accusations becoming viral social media posts, it is very apparent that we have not done enough to honor Jesus’ prayer in John 17 to be one.

Prayer

​Dad,
Walking the ancient streets of Ephesus and meeting one of the few dear Christian ladies across the street from St. John’s tomb, it was disheartening to realize that many of the New Testament churches no longer exist. I am sure the reasons are more complicated than just our issues with disunity, but it is still sad. I remember an old song based on John 13:35, “they will know we are Christians by our love.” I ache for those who proclaim your name to live under your banner of love for one another.