Two Reactions

Luke tells the story of Zaccheus,a small man, who climbs a tree to see Jesus. Jesus calls him down from the tree and says "tonight I will eat at your house."

Luke 19:7
All of the people saw this and began to mutter, "He has gone to be the guest of a 'sinner'."

Zaccheus is a hated man, he is a Jew by birth, but is now in league with the occupying Romans. He is a hated tax collector and a traitor, a collaborator with the enemy, not a real popular guy.

Our individual world's are filled with immoral, untouchable, and unworthy people. At least the way we see them. We decide in our minds what is good and pleasing to God. We also decide who is good and pleasing to God. We decide who God can and cannot use. We read in the following verses, after that encounter with Jesus, Zaccheus changes. He immediately gives half of all he has to the poor, he's willing to pay back anyone he cheated four times the amount. I'm not sure about how much money Zaccheus started with, I know he ends up with a lot less.

After an encounter with Jesus, Zaccheus walked away a changed man, he reacted to the truth.

Later in the same chapter we read of Jesus going into the temple where he witnesses the "rulers" of the temple, the ones who are supposed to get it, the churched people, cheating and stealing from those coming to worship God. The very people that should be setting the example are just like Zaccheus, they not only steal money they also steal hope.

In theory, these are the people closest to God, they of all people should know how to act. They do react to Jesus, quite differently from the previous example of Zaccheus. They plot to kill Jesus.

God decides who he will use. He uses immoral and untouchable people to change the world. Meanwhile the pious go through life unchanged and unrepentant.

Jesus came to be the guest of sinners, that means all of us. May we change as Zaccheus did.

Cost

There is a cost in following Jesus. There is a cost when Jesus goes from being an abstract concept or a symbol represented by a cross, to the ruler of our hearts. The price of putting Jesus on the walls or our homes or the bumpers of our cars is far different the the cost of submission to Jesus.

Submission cost everything. Our time, talents, money, other resources, make up the price we pay to submit to Christ. Everything we have is required of us to be a disciple. The security and comfort we may have, or think we may have in our wealth, also needs to surrendered. We avail all of these things to the work and the yielding of the Holy Spirit. We release our resources, and in doing so we are free from the chains we have placed on ourselves.

Submitting and surrendering everything allows us to witness miracles first hand. A warm blanket, a hot meal, clean water, a roof for some who don't have their own. Our resources become something far greater than we could every imagined.

Becoming a disciple has a cost. Everything, time, money, talent, are all paid to follow Christ. Our resources, in the hands of the architect of the universe, build His kingdom.

Sinner or not

In John 9, Jesus heals a blind man which served to infuriate the Pharisees and religious leaders of the day. Jn 9:25, the healed man is speaking, He replied, "Whether he is a sinner or not, I don't know, one thing I do know. I was blind but now I see.

Jesus is known throughout the world. He lived 2000 years ago and has world renown. Some call him savior, some teacher, some lunatic. What we call Jesus doesn't matter. What we think of him doesn't change who he is. Our human words can't label him, quantify him, or contain him.

The blind see. We can attempt to convince ourselves and the world that Jesus isn't who he claims to be, some devote their lives to it. The simple truth remains, the blind see, the lame walk, and the dead live. Jesus is God.

Jn 9:34 tells us that when presented not only with the facts, but also with the evidence, the Pharisees threw the former blind man out. Isolating ourselves from facts and evidence makes us blind. Who would choose blindness over sight? Sadly many do.

If you were once blind, but now can see, tell it, tell it to the world.

God's Economy

God ask us to trust Him, to step out in faith and rely on Him and not ourselves. That is really what should be at the core of all we do trust in Him alone. God is constantly at work in and around our lives, when we trust Him he reveals Himself to us in many different ways.

Re-thinking Christmas. It’s the series we are in right now and a topic of discussion in my home. The idea is to purchase a few less gifts and take the money saved, and donate it. We have placed our re-thinking envelope on the center of our tree, you can’t look at the tree without seeing it. It’s front and center on our tree and in our minds. We’ve been thinking about it, praying about it and talking about it for a few weeks. We’re trusting God on this one.

We have decided in addition to supporting the clean water, church plant, and the bread of life mission, that RiverGlen is backing, we are also going to give financially to a missionary this Christmas. Yesterday morning Kelly and I decided how much we would give. Three hours after making that decision I received very unexpectedly, and much to my surprise, an amount of money that will not only cover the amount we committed to, but will also leave a little left over.

Some will say it’s a coincidence. They can say that. I say, I serve a God that tells me to take him at his word. John 10:10 says I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. God provided more than we decided to give, he gave to us abundantly, we were blessed for our obedience.

I'm thinking I need to do some more re-thinking.

Connect

I hope you were in church this weekend to hear Ben speak on the importance of being connected in a small group or class with others. This truth resonates in our souls, we are created to exist in community with others. We instinctively crave connections with others. Without community we suffer physically, mentally, and spiritually. Over the weekend I read The Prodigal God, by Timothy Keller. In it he writes:

Christians commonly say they want a relationship with Jesus; they want to “get to know Jesus better.” You will never be able to do that by yourself. You must be deeply involved in the church, in Christian community, with strong relationships of love and accountability. Only if you are a part of a community of believers seeking to resemble, serve, and love Jesus will you ever get to know him and grow into his likeness.

I think this is an excellent summary of what we know to be true. As group leaders you are making it possible for others to get to know Jesus and to grow in his likeness.

I had two interesting conversations this weekend with “mature” Christians. Two men, both who love and serve the Lord, and neither one of them are currently plugged into a group. What surprised me is that I assumed they were both in groups, they have been in the past and know that’s where growth and real life transformation takes place. The lesson for me was simple. Be proactive, ask and invite, encourage everyone to be in a group, especially the ones we think already are.

Thanks for your time and effort to make this semester’s Group Life launch successful.

Enlist

Rev 19:14
The armies of heaven were following him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean.

I've come to realize, that although I have never registered to serve in our nations military, I am enlisted in the army. The armies of heaven... When we choose to follow Christ with our lives we become part of his heavenly army. Substitute your name for the word armies.

(Your name here) of heaven was following him, riding on a white horse and dressed in fine linen, white and clean. As a Christ follower we are in his army. Our uniform is the finest linen, of the brightest white. A battle has been fought on our behalf and we have been made clean and bright.

I've never been in the military but I do understand marching orders.
You will be my witnesses.
Go and make disciples.
Take care of widows and orphans and do not become corrupted by the world.

The you is plural, it includes all followers of Christ. We have our orders, time to march.

Purge

For many the Old Testament is merely a collection of stories and wise sayings. They find no 21st century application in those writings. Yet, if they would look a little closer they would awaken to the truth, wisdom, and guidance found in those pages.

Josiah became king at the tender age of eight. 2Chron 34:2 "He did what was right in the eyes of the LORD and walked in the ways of his father David, not turning aside to the right or to the left."

Josiah's father and grandfather were wicked in the eyes of the LORD. He did not have a role model or a father figure to follow. He simply looked at the kingdom and knew that something was wrong, and he knew he was going to change that. Josiah began to destroy an desecrate all the temples and high places used for idol worship. He went through out the land removing the vile practices. He did all of this without knowing the law.

God's law had been hidden in the temple. His father nor grandfather heeded the law, they had no need for it. It lay hidden in plain view, out of sight and out of mind. When the book of law was found and read Josiah greatly grieved, he realized how far the nation of Israel had strayed from God.

Do we too hide the law in the temples of our homes? Is the LORD's will and word hidden in plain view on the shelf we keep our bibles? Isn't an unused bible hidden? Josiah didn't have the law, yet he knew something was terribly wrong and he purged the land.

Where are the altars and temples in our lives that need purging and destruction? Can we see those blindspots apart from God? God reveals his will to us in his word. May his decrees never be hidden in a temple of our own making, may we never hide his word in plain view, may we never hide God's word in a temple of our own making.