Gen 2:9 - Pleasing to the Eye

In Gen 2:9, Moses describes the trees God planted in the Garden as "pleasing to the sight and good for food" (ESV).

Creation was designed to be pleasing to man and man was designed to enjoy creation. Why would you not want to worship a God who provides such opportunity to experience delight in Him and His creation?

1 John 1:1 - Eyewitness News

" That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched—this we proclaim concerning the Word of life." (1 John 1:1, NIV)

This Apostle, writing at the end of the First Century, makes the claim to have been an eyewitness to something life changing. That something was none other than Jesus, the Christ, or Messiah.

Look at what John is claiming in this verse. There is an eternal being ("from the beginning") who John and the other Apostles had the chance to hear, see and touch. On top of this, he claims that this eternal being is also the Word of life. This is clarified in John 14:6 where Jesus says, "I am the way."

As with all eyewitnesses, you have the choice to believe or not believe the claims the Apostles make. You have several options in response to them.

1. You can believe the claims and move toward belief in Jesus
2. You can deny that these men believed these claims but broadcast them anyway to propagate a new religion
3. You can assume that the claims were false but the Apostles believed them, having been duped by Jesus
   

By the time that this letter was written, the other 10 Apostles (Judas killed himself leaving 11) were all martyred for the beliefs that John states in this verse. The Apostle Paul has also been killed for the same beliefs by this time. Not one of them recanted the claims about Jesus prior to being killed. It is doubtful that all of them would have been willing to go to their death on account of a lie. Option #2 falls apart on the basis of this.

Option #3 falls apart on the basis of the resurrection appearances of Jesus. Either he did or did not appear to the Apostles. If he did not, then we are back to Option 2 because they all claimed he did. It would be difficult to maintain that all of the Apostles had the same hallucination when they thought they saw Jesus. So Option #3 would be difficult to maintain.

It seems to me that Option #1 is the best choice in response to the claims of John and the other Apostles as recorded in the New Testament of the Bible.

Mark 4:11 - Ya gotta choose

"He told them, “The secret of the kingdom of God has been given to you. But to those on the outside everything is said in parables" (Mark 4:11, NIV)

In this statement, Jesus clearly indicates that there is a line to be crossed. Some are inside and some are outside.

The question is how do you determine the line of demarcation? Perhaps there is a clue in Chapter 3 of Mark and Chapter 12 of Matthew. Jesus' enemies ascribed his supernatural power to Satan. Clearly they could not deny that Jesus was doing miracles but they were unwilling to ascribe them to the power of God.

In the 21st Century, enough time has passed that some attempt to get away with ascribing all of the miracles recorded in the Gospels as being in the category of myth, something that smart people know could not happen and must be made up.

The line of demarcation seems to be a decision around who Jesus is. Those who accept him as coming from God and doing God's work are in and those who reject Jesus as coming from God are out.

It doesn't matter if you ascribe Jesus' miracles to Satan or to myth, denial of who Jesus is and what he came to accomplish carries serious consequences. To misunderstand Jesus is to put your soul in jeopardy.

Acts 6:2 - The priority

"So the Twelve gathered all the disciples together and said, “It would not be right for us to neglect the ministry of the word of God in order to wait on tables." (Acts 6:2, NIV)

What struck me when I read this is that while the physical needs of the widows are considered, priority is given to the spiritual needs. In other words, it is a good thing to feed the people but it is a better thing to bring them the word of God.

This is relevant to my recent encounters with the emergent church movement. To me, it seems as though this movement has reversed this priority, making the message secondary to the physical well being of the community.

Jesus told Satan that man does not live by bread alone, but his existence depends on "every word that proceeds from the mouth of God".

What I take away from this is that I cannot go wrong is giving priority to reading and studying Scripture.

John 12:43 - Where should I look for praise?

"for they loved praise from men more than praise from God." (John 12:43, NIV)

"Hello, my name is Mark McIntyre and I love praise from men more than I love praise from God." This would be my opening statement at a 12 Step meeting for Praiseaholics.

I must own that this is true of me more often that I would like to admit. I see from the record of Christendom that I am not alone.

Perhaps this is a question that we should ask when making decisions. "Am I doing this to get praise from men, or am I doing this as an act of worship?" Is my motivation to please God or to get a pat on the back?

To have the pleasure of God as my motivation requires that I am yielded to the leading of the Holy Spirit. So not only is this an issue of motivation, it is also an issue of who is in control.

The problem is that I like being in control. Or, more correctly, my flesh, my sinful nature, likes being in control. This too, is something that I share with the rest of humanity going all the way back to our first parents and the choice they made in the Garden.

So, do I yield myself to God and allow myself to be used for his glory or do I pursue my own ends? I choose the former but often fall into the latter. As I have grown the ratio has shifted toward yielding, but I am a long way from where God or I would like me to be. May today provide more evidence of the shift toward yieldedness.

John 6:68 - We're out of options

"Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life." (John 6:68, NIV)

This is one of my most treasured verses in the Bible.

The problem with the Christianity of my childhood was that there was an answer for every question. Or, more correctly, it seemed as though only questions that could be answered were allowed to be asked. As a result, it was a belief system which was very tidy, but often very shallow.

Sooner or later, we run across the questions that cannot be answered. They often begin with "why" such as "Why did God allow . . .?"

It is when I run into the brick wall of unanswerable questions that I return to this verse and find that I am comforted. I am comforted that while I cannot answer all the hard questions, I find that Jesus Christ and the belief system that bears his name offer better answers than any other belief.

Atheism has nothing to offer other than an excuse to party while you're still able. Other religions offer a set of tasks that I will not be able to accomplish which will provide me with an uncertain future. Governments and human leaders are rife with failure and compromise, no help will come from that quarter.

Like the disciples, I have no where else to go but to Jesus. Specifically, I can go to the Cross to find help in dealing with these problems. At the Cross, I find a fellow sufferer, one who experienced the pain of fallen humanity. There I find one who paid the price for my failure and gives me a new day to do better. There I find one who tells me that no matter what happens, I will not be alone, he will be with me.

There is only one option, but it is a really, really good one.

Luke 19:27 - You're not gonna like this . . .

"But those enemies of mine who did not want me to be king over them—bring them here and kill them in front of me.’ " (Luke 19:27, NIV)

Jesus told the parable of the minas to those who criticized him for being the guest of Zacchaeus. This verse is found at the end of this parable.

The hearers are those who should have been able to recognize who Jesus was and receive him gladly. Yet, they rejected him as their Messiah and King.

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus made a similar statement, although before today I never put these two together. In Matthew 7:23 Jesus states that in the final judgment there will be some to whom he says "I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!" (NIV) Again this will be said not to overt sinners but to religious people who did things in Jesus' name.

Two questions come to mind. First, do I accept Jesus' right and authority to be King and act accordingly? Second, are the things I do in response to my relationship with Jesus or am I out doing my own thing in Jesus' name?

Honesty demands that I acknowledge that while I do seek relationship and seek to respond based upon that relationship, my fallen self asserts itself more often than I would like. These verses serve as a reminder to the result that giving self free rein will bring. Self brings heartache and separation. Selflessness brings relationship. "The first shall be last . . . "

Luke 13:17 - Do they understand the implications?

"When he said this, all his opponents were humiliated, but the people were delighted with all the wonderful things he was doing." (Luke 13:17 , NIV)

Perhaps this thought struck me as a result of this being toward the end of the election season. I have seen video of crowds roaring approval for candidates that are throwing out promises that they will be unable to fulfill due to the economic reality that there is no free lunch, someone has got to pay. I get the sense that there is a lot of emotion and very little thought which is driving the response of the crowd.

In the same way, I doubt that many understood the implications of what they were seeing when Jesus performed miracles. I assume that some who viewed these events came to faith as a result of the miracles. I also assume that some, hearing the preaching of the Apostles following Pentecost, then understood what they had seen and came to faith. Yet, my guess is that there were others, perhaps a majority, who enjoyed the spectacle of the miracles, and pursued no further reflection as to the implications of what they were seeing.

I am reminded of Paul's words to Timothy:

"For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear." (2 Timothy 4:3, NIV)

Too often, we are willingly duped by those who make us promises. We want to believe that our political party has the answers, that the one promising us full bellies and economic security is the one to lead us. We need to look past the spectacle and the promises to see what the implications are.

Jesus made no promises of prosperity or ease in this life. He does promise grace to endure. He does promise to be with us. He promises rewards for obedience. Yet, often His way is the harder one and it is easy to be drawn away.

In all the clamor of this election season, I pray we hear God's voice calling us to repentance which leads to relationship. I pray that we understand that human government cannot fix what is wrong with our society. I pray that we understand that no matter who wins in the elections, God's plan cannot be thwarted and that the Messiah who was rejected some 2000 years ago will indeed reign one day. This election is one event in the process leading up to that culmination.

Luke 8:53 - We won't be laughing then

"They laughed at him, knowing that she was dead." (Luke 8:53, NIV)

We know how the story ends. We know that the girl is raised up by Jesus. We know that the laughter was undeserved. So, we, or maybe it's just me, stand in judgment of these people for their laughter.

Yet, how many promises in Scripture do I fail to believe and take literally? Why do I get caught up in stressing about things over which I have no control? Why do I fail to trust that God loves me and is watching out for my well being? Why am I hesitant to step out in faith when I am prompted to do something? Why do I remain in fear when Jesus commands me to fear not?

By not taking the commands and promises seriously, there is a sense that I am laughing at Jesus. I don't like it or want to do it, but it is true; I have to own it. I fall back on the prayer of the father in Mark 9:24, “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!” (Mark 9:24, NIV)

When I get to Heaven, I wonder if I will have a sense of how many opportunities to excercise faith I missed. I won't be laughing then.

Luke 6:26 - Focus on the message

"Woe to you when all men speak well of you, for that is how their fathers treated the false prophets." (Luke 6:26, NIV)

"Blessed are thsoe who are persecuted because of righteousness . . ." (Matthew 5:10a, NIV)

Perhaps I am oversimplifying when I write this, but much of the driving force behind the emergent church seems to be the desire to have people like and respect Christians and Christianity.

My largest concern with the emergent church concept is not their methods, or their desires. My biggest question and concern is their priorities. If you value relationship over truth, then there will be pressure to compromise the message , which some in the emergent church have clearly done.

To be fair, I should point out that too often the orthodox (I use this in the generic sense, not a particular denomination) Church has been out of balance the other way, using truth as a means of dividing and separating rather than bringing together.

Yet we see Jesus never compromising on his message AND loving people into the Kingdom. John tells us that Jesus was "full of grace and truth" (John 1:14). It is possible to be loving and orthodox at the same time. It is not an either / or, but a both/and. We should be orthodox and loving.

What then should we learn from the verses above? I take from these that not everyone will embrace or appreciate the message or the messenger. Secondly, I learn that we should not focus on being liked. I am reminded of the words of Paul to the Ephesians:

"Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming. Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ." (Ephesians 4:14-15, NIV)

Titus 2:15 - Stay in the fight

"Do not let anyone despise you." (Titus 1:15b, NIV)

The word here carries the idea of setting to the side, or dismissal. In other words, Paul is saying to Titus don't let anyone brush you off and ignore you.

Those of you who like conflict perhaps cannot understand this command. You are thinking, "of course I won't let anyone ignore me." But as I read Paul's letters to Timothy and Titus, there are various places where Paul encourages them to engage the battle. I take from this that Timothy and Titus are naturally inclined to avoid conflict.

The really important question is what issues are worth having conflict about. Christendom provides many stories of silly debates and church splits over trivialities. Yet, there are issues that are important enough that to give ground on them requires a compromise on the message of the Gospel.

From this verse I gather that once an issue is deemed important, it is vital that the leader stand his ground. I think of Martin Luther's words, "here I stand, I can do no other . . . "

Luke 2:39 - Back to the "real" world

"When Joseph and Mary had done everything required by the Law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee to their own town of Nazareth." (Luke 2:39, NIV)

Joseph, the stepfather of Jesus, and Mary, the mother of Jesus, just experienced some amazing things in Jerusalem. They are the parents of the Messiah! If any family was entitled to support and privilege it was theirs.

Yet, when the hoopla is over, what happens? They go back to their home town and settle back into their old lifestyle.

What strikes me about this is that too often in the church we put full time ministry personnel into a different spiritual category than the rest of the folks in the fellowship. Since the reformation, we have taught against this, but still we gravitate back to this attitude like moths to a porch light.

Yet, here we see the holy family going back to Nazareth and doing what they did before the birth of Jesus.

Certainly, there would be a different attitude in their work. Watching Jesus grow up would have brought a unique set of joys and challenges. Can you imagine the challenge of having a perfectly behaved child? Can you imagine being in a relationship when you are always the one that needs forgiving?

But the point is that they did not assume the pastorate of the local synagogue. They did not go on national TV, or start a web site (or a blog). They went back to their old work and old lifestyle. They did, however, accomplish the task that God set before them which was to rear the Messiah of the Jews and the Savior of the world.

May we all be willing to play the role that God has given us for His glory, trusting that the final result will be better than anything we could have planned.

Mark 15:15 - Crowd (self) Control

"Wanting to satisfy the crowd . . ." (Mark 15:15, NIV)

Pilate made a bad decision in order to satisfy the crowd. Does this sound familiar to you? It certainly does for me.

I have left things unsaid which should have been said. I have said things that were best left unsaid. I have allowed the people around me influence my behavior. Too often, I have allowed my chief concern to be people liking and accepting me.

It is God, and God alone that I should seek to please. For, in the end, it is God and God alone who will be the judge.

Now, to be fair, Pilate was close to having a riot on his hands. As a very unpopular Roman Governor, he had a difficult issue to address in his handling of Jesus. But, like you and I, he had the opportunity to hear the truth and respond to it.

May I hear God's voice above the din of the crowd and follow it today.

"My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me." (John 10:27, NIV)

Mark 14:3 - Nobody here but us lepers

"While he was in Bethany, reclining at the table in the home of a man known as Simon the Leper . . ." (Mark 14:3a, NIV)

Perhaps you catch on more quickly than I, but the many times that I have read this story, it never dawned on me until now that no-one, not even Jesus, would dine in the house of a leper. That is, no-one would dine in the house of one that currently has leprosy.

The conclusion is that Simon had been cured of his leprosy by Jesus.

Leprosy is used in Scripture as a picture of sin in the life of men and women. Like leprosy, it permeates our lives and effects the way we live. But, by faith in Jesus, we can be changed and forgiven of our sin.

Here we see Simon, formerly an outcast from society, throwing a party for Jesus. He is cured of the disease that brought separation and now revels in the ability to be in relationship. One would think that the mood at this event would be very upbeat, at least Simon's mood would have been.

This should be, and sometimes is, a description of what happens in worship on Sundays. All of us who have been cleansed by the blood of Jesus come together to share in worship of the one who did the cleansing. We come together to fellowship with the God who makes possible our fellowship with each other.

Would our worship be different if we took the viewpoint of Simon the (former) Leper?

Mark 13:2 - It's all gonna burn

“Do you see all these great buildings?” replied Jesus. “Not one stone here will be left on another; every one will be thrown down.” (Mark 13:2, NIV)

I worship at a fellowship that meets in a strip mall. No-one would argue that the building is magnificent, awe inspiring or beautiful. As a result, the Pharisee in me points to the disciple to whom Jesus directed these remarks and I think "I'm glad I'm not as confused as that guy."

Yet, how much of my resources do I spend on acquiring and maintaining things that have no value for the Kingdom of God? How much time do I spend on activities that entertain but do not enlighten or encourage growth? I am reminded of Paul's words in Ephesians:

"Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil." (Ephesians 5:15-16, NIV)

May God grant you and I eyes to see from His perspective, wisdom to understand how we should walk and courage to take the next step.

Mark 9:29 - Thoughts on Prayer

"He replied, “This kind can come out only by prayer.”" (Mark 9:29, NIV)

A coworker told me about the bumper sticker on her husband's car which reads, "If you don't pray in my school, I won't think in your church."

While this may be considered to be clever or offensive, it does highlight something that I often take for granted. Whether the writer of the phrase knows it or not, he is highlighting the power of prayer.

I actually think it amusing to consider the fact that self proclaimed atheists, who claim there is no God, get so upset about someone praying. If there is no God, what is the harm is sending words into the cosmos? How is the atheist damaged by meaningless expression? I think that atheists fear prayer because there is a part of them which feels that there might be something to it.

So, as a believer, the challenge is to give prayer its proper place in my life. Prayer is feared because it is powerful. Prayer is effective because it is God's will for me to pray.

And, oh by the way, we can pray and the atheists will never know that we are doing it. If you really want to mess with their atheism, pray that they acknowledge Jesus as Lord. Someday they might thank you for it.

Mark 9:6 - Better to keep your mouth shut

"He did not know what to say, they were so frightened." (Mark 9:6, NIV)

I have often had the experience of walking away from a conversation thinking "why did I say that?" Sometimes I say stupid things because the silence is awkward. Sometimes the stupid things are an attempt at making myself look good (and doing the exact opposite). But there are times when, like Peter, I am in a nerve wracking position and I talk to relieve my tension.

If I remember my New Testament history correctly, Mark used Peter as a source for much of the material for the Gospel that bears his name. Can you imagine Peter relating this story to Mark? "There we were, we were confronted with the Glory of God, scared almost to death, and you know what I said? . . . can you believe I said that?"

There is a proverb that I'm fond of but often fail to implement. "It is better to keep quiet and let them think you a fool than to open your mouth and remove all doubt."

"May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer." (Psalm 19:14, NIV)

Matthew 7:21-23 - Relationship Matters

"Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!"(Matthew 7:21-23, NIV)

I had the opportunity to attend a conference on "Missional" theology at Biblical Seminary yesterday. The good news is that there was emphasis on taking the gospel into the post modern culture that surrounds us. There was a challenge for the Church to have a sense of mission. There was much emphasis on the development of relationships for the spread of the gospel. So far so good.

Here is the bad news. There seems to be little agreement in this movement on what the gospel is. I heard nothing about the fallenness of man. I heard nothing about a sin nature that is in open rebellion against God. I heard nothing about the eternal destiny of those who have not responded to the Gospel.

I do not have any statistics handy (and I'm too lazy to go look them up at the moment), but it seems to me that the Gospels record more words of Jesus about Hell than Heaven. Hell is a very real place and we should be very, very concerned that people we know are destined to go there without intervention.

The desire to address the issues of poverty and live in an eco-friendly manner is good. I think that good stewardship of the planet's resources has been a weakness of western Christendom. Using these issues to bridge the communication gap between the church and the world makes sense to me. Where I really, really get frustrated is when this desire to bridge the gap ignores the fact that Jesus gives us propositional truth about God, Man, Sin, Salvation, the Church and the culmination of history. It is this propositional truth that was largely ignored in the conference yesterday.

In Matthew 7, Jesus posits that he will say to many, "I never knew you." Two things come to mind. To know someone is to know the truth about them and to respond accordingly. Secondly, relationship very much matters. The "missional" movement seems to largely ignore the uncomfortable aspects of being in relationship with a Holy God. It is uncomfortable to know that my sin nature continues to be at war with God and will not ultimately be conquered until I am with Jesus. It is uncomfortable to have the responsibility to tell people that their current path leads to eternal damnation. Yet, these uncomfortable truths are part of the communication that the Church is required to present and a requirement for being in relationship with God. The Church cannot say more than what Jesus said to the culture, but it certainly should not say less.

I am grateful for the emphasis in the conference on relationship. I am grateful for the fervor surrounding the desire to be a light to a lost culture. I am grateful that there is the desire to bring salvation to the members of our community. At the end of it all, though, I was saddened that there was not clear articulation of what salvation looks like other than providing a safe environment and feeding the hungry.

Paul says "If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men." (1 Corinthians 15:19, NIV). The "gospel" presented in the conference yesterday, the gospel of full bellies and lack of conflict, is inadequate. If it only gives hope for this life, we are to be pitied.

Matthew 24:38-39 - They knew nothing?

"For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man." (Matthew 24:38-39, NIV)

Noah built an ark that was 450 ft long. It was really big, took a long time to build and it was not hidden. So, the people around Noah had some cause to ask, "watcha doing?"

If they were ignorant of the coming flood it was because they chose to be. They had plenty of evidence that it was on its way.

In the same way, people choose to ignorant of the fact that they will have to give an account of how they lived their lives. Choosing to ignore God does not cause him to cease to exist.

Our society portrays those who speak of the end of the world as religions fanatics at best and delusional at worst. We've all seen comic strip figures carrying sandwich boards with the message, "Repent - The End is Near." Most choose to believe that society will go on indefinitely.

Yet, it is our job as believers to be witnesses to the fact that there is a coming judgment. I am reminded of what Paul presented to Governor Felix; he discoursed on "righteousness, self-control and the judgment to come." (Acts 24:25) Good words for this society in this day.

Matthew 21:10 - Who is this?

"When Jesus entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred and asked, “Who is this?”" (Matthew 21:10, NIV)

The Triumphal Entry of Jesus into Jerusalem is recorded in all four Gospels, indicating that it is a significant event in the ministry of Jesus. Matthew is the only one to record the statement in 21:10 quoted above.

When he writes the "whole city," is Matthew using hyperbole? Perhaps he is, but it is not hard to imagine that the events as described by the Evangelists would grab most, if not all, of the people's attention.

Is our attention not drawn to the flashing lights and sirens of emergency vehicles? Whenever I hear a siren, I am curious to know what is happening. My guess is that when people started shouting in Jerusalem, others would want to know what was going on.

Here is the thought that captured me this morning. I began thinking about the different reactions of the people in Jerusalem. Some were excited and hopeful that this was indeed the long promised Messiah. Others were just caught up in the spectacle and drama of the thing (such as the Pharisees going apoplectic). Others were probably annoyed at the disruption of their daily routine (who likes traffic jams?). We know from the Gospels that others were plotting to kill Jesus. But, few, if any, were not asking the question "what is going on?"

We see similar reactions to Jesus today. Militant atheists want all vestiges of Christianity removed from society. Others view religion as an annoyance when Christians argue against "progressive" ideas such as abortion or legalized drugs. Another group likes the trappings of religion and the idea of spirituality but resist the responsibilities associated with acknowledging absolute truth. Some of us understand that without Jesus, there is little hope that things can be different than the mess we currently see in ourselves and in our society.