The Narrow Gate: Luke 13v22-30

Luke reminds us again that Jesus is headed to Jerusalem and his followers are expecting a major conflict where only a remnant will be left, or saved through it. Israel knows this story. This is not primarily about eternal salvation, though we can certainly glean some insights. It is always dangerous to take things out of context of what Jesus was actually saying to fit our theology.

So far Jesus is holding the gate open for them, calling them all into God's Kingdom way. Jesus turns them from a question about quantity and directs them to a state of urgency, to follow Jesus in this way, at this point in the story, takes urgency and commitment. This is God giving Israel one last chance and it has come not from a prophet, but through God's own son. (Jesus will bring us back to this idea in Luke 20v9-18). After what Jesus would accomplish up at Jerusalem, a time would come when the Kingdom would be given to all the people around them and they would come in and feast at God's table with Abraham and Isaac and Jacob, yes the Gentiles from east, west, north and south, the very ones they hated so much...and Israel herself would be thrown out...what lament then! In that day there would be much weeping and gnashing of teeth because they rejected the cornerstone and gave up their birthright. There is a hint of a message of hope at the end though,those who where first may still get in, last...but Jesus is content to leave them with that hint of hope amid the message of urgency,commitment and striving to enter before its too late, and so to am I.

The Living Word: Luke 13v10-21

Continuing the journey, Luke now turns us to a story of Jesus healing on the Sabbath. It is a great illustration of what is going on as a whole. God's people have a spirit of weakness, they are bent double and unable to straighten up, they have been bound up by the satan for many years. With a word and a touch Jesus is able to return her to her royal and priestly position, praising and giving glory to God. What Jesus has done for this woman, he longs to do for all God's people.

So what is the problem? Well, the synagogue leader made it out to be a violation of the law (healing on the sabbath)and what had become a central feature of their national identity. The underlying story is that this traveling rabbi walked into his congregation and did a miracle and interrupted protocol and probably the sermon he'd been working on all week. So Jesus calls him out on it. You are here, preaching the word of God and then God moves in your midst to set a woman free and you accuse me of violating the day of rest? You are just play acting (a hypocrite). Jesus goes on to school his opponents on their interpretation of the scriptures and they are embarrassed because he is right and they are supposed to be leading the people of God , but they do not repent...they hate him for it all the more.

Jesus then tells these two small parables about a mustard seed and a bit of leaven. This relatively small act of healing on behalf of this poor woman and her heartfelt gratitude and repentance toward glorifying God is what the Kingdom of God is like. This bitter,against the grain humiliation before God of the leadership to bring them back into the true service of God is what the Kingdom is like and it will grow and it will accomplish the purposes of God.

Figs and Axes: Luke 13v1-9

Jesus has been trying to convince people to turn from their ways of thinking acting and feeling and to follow Him. He has been doing this for years now with very little impact. He has gone up and cleansed the temple repeatedly and still he's got just a few followers who have really produced the fruit he and His Father are looking for...repentance...a true turning towards God and seeking His Kingdom.

Here come some folks with news that Pilate, a real sob if there ever was one, who just slaughtered some Galilean pilgrims in the temple while offering their sacrifices. Think about that...the governor of your state walks into church on Christmas day an and just opens fire and kills everyone. Why did this happen? And why would Jesus' followers think it was because the Galileans were really bad sinners? The Galilee was known for its zealots and one could conclude that Jesus and his crew grew up round many of them and saw more than a few of these violently zealous counterparts hanging from a tree. The disciple's want to know, are these those rebellious Jews that you were just talking about the ones who are going to start the end? Jesus says if you don't repent, that is change your thinking and turn towards God, you will be destroyed in the same way. Then he asks them about a local building accident where some guys died recently...and tells them they will be destroyed in the same way.

Slaughter at the hand of Rome...violent rebellion...crumbling buildings...in the same way...this is the key to what Jesus' has been prophesying to His people. If you don't repent this is going to be your end and it will be terrible.

Then Jesus tells them the parable of the fig tree. The fig tree is Jerusalem. YHWY, the Father, is the man and He has been coming to Israel again and again seeking fruit, but rather they have just been running His name through the mud, Jesus (as the gardener in this parable) pleads for them like Abraham pleads for Sodom. Let me just put a little more life into them and lets see if they produce fruit and if not then you can take the axe to it all. Take an axe to Jerusalem? If you remember John the Baptist thought that was what Jesus had come to do, what he desired...and Jesus rebuked Him. So we see Jesus own vocation clearly and the fate of Israel if they do not repent and turn to the Kingdom of God through His gospel. Truly Nineveh rises up in judgment over them, because we know they did not repent at the Word of the Son of God and Nineveh repented at the word of a fool.

What implications does this have for us? When you see bad things happen to rebellious people do you think they are worse sinners than you? Do you think that when bad things happen they are always the result of someones sinfulness? Perhaps it's all to bring you to repentance, to produce the fruit God is looking for, Jesus fought for you and He continues to do so...but the Father is making all things new and if there is no fruit being produced, then the soil in His vineyard is being wasted.

Repent for the Kingdom of God has come near to you.

Prince of Division?: Luke 12v49-59

Do you ever sense that there is just this perfect storm brewing? Like there's this tension in the air that you can almost smell? It's lurking just below the surface, if you really stopped to look you could see what was coming. If we did this more often we would find ourselves in a much better position to stand through it.

That is what is going on in the time of Jesus. You have the oppressive Roman occupiers, Herod's corrupt pseudo-government, the thieving Sadducee temple aristocracy with the priesthood in their pockets, you've got the Pharisee's with their hidden agenda's and religious pressure tactics and then you've got the Essenes who've just retreated into caves. This is not to mention all the spiritual powers at work behind the scenes within all that and the fallout it has on the general population.

Where is God in all this one might ask. He is carrying the weight of it in Himself, that's where. 'I have a baptism to undergo, and how distressed I am until it is accomplished!' says our Lord. Here we see the 'Prince of Peace' declare war on the all the powers of darkness. He is marching straight into the eye of the storm to take the full weight of all of it upon Himself, to judge and to save. 'I came to throw fire on the earth and I wish it were already alight!' The 'Prince of Peace' knows His message is going to bring division because nothing stirs up anger and hatred and division amongst those opposed to God, sinners, like a message of true peace and reconciliation. Just try talking about heaven and earth coming together as God's ultimate goal for His good creation in Christ (Ephesians 1v10).

So what word does Jesus have for those who would be saved through this? Make amends with whoever is accusing you before you get caught up into it and have to pay every last penny. This would be the case for little Jerusalem...the rebellion continued on and sure enough in came the magistrates, the judges, the officers, the imprisonment which only stirred more violent rebellion until Jerusalem paid every last penny in 70ad and the whole city became just an extension of its own flaming garbage heap, Gehenna. Oh, Jerusalem, if only you had known the things that made for peace, you of all!

In the midst of all this though, there is still an opportunity to turn from destruction and follow God's way of salvation through it. There is still hope and a way forward. Notice that this does not mean it's not going to happen, evil must be confronted and as Christian's we will find ourselves marching straight to the center of the evils on earth with the message of heaven and allowing them to run their course upon us for the sake of others...evil will exhaust itself, death after all is all it's got...and on the other side of that, there is resurrection and new life.

'These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.' says our Lord.

'I've seen too much hate to want to hate, myself, and every time I see it, I say to myself, hate is too great a burden to bear. Somehow we must be able to stand up against our most bitter opponents and say: We shall match your capacity to inflict suffering by our capacity to endure suffering. We will meet your physical force with soul force. Do to us what you will and we will still love you.... But be assured that we'll wear you down by our capacity to suffer, and one day we will win our freedom. We will not only win freedom for ourselves; we will appeal to your heart and conscience that we will win you in the process, and our victory will be a double victory.' -Martin Luther King Jr. ... A Christ-mas message...

May we, in our time, have the eyes to see, the ears to hear, the courage to confront and the wisdom to reconcile. In Jesus name, Amen.

Like A Thief In The Night: Luke 12v35-48

This is a scripture that has come to mean a lot to me. I don’t want to get into conversation here (though I would certainly enjoy it) over whether Jesus is talking about his second coming as the end of time or the long awaited return of YHWY to His people that Jesus was about to embody in Jerusalem at the Passover and the judgment that would come within this generation, 40 years later. I personally believe him to be speaking of the latter, but that is (again) for another time. That does not mean this scripture does not have implications for us today as I will explain…

Last summer, I was awoken from my sleep and experienced God like never before, with that came a strong call to repentance and a greater level of discipleship and service. Then...well nothing very specific was revealed and when it didn’t pan out in the time frame I desired or in the ways I speculated that it ought to...I was disappointed and I slipped back into some sinful ways…worse than ever before actually, I came under attack and didn’t even put up a fight, got sloppy and lazy with both my service and my devotions and worse, my prayer life.

A few months into this and one night I started having dreams that opened my eyes to what I was doing, makes me nauseous just thinking about it,some things I didn’t even realize, other things that I was justifying and allowing myself to be deceived into, not to mention I had recently prayed, with the elders, that God would, according to the scriptures, faithfully judge me as I judge others. That’s a dangerous prayer, and he was faithful. He returned a lot of thoughts on me that I had thought towards others in my heart and He really let me have it. But suddenly, my eyes where open and God was everywhere, with most everyone speaking words right to my heart with my mind either accusing or affirming me, my conscience bearing witness of my intentions as well, all showing that His law is written on my heart and His judgments are right and true. But oh, believe you me, the enemy was right there to rip into me through all this too, accusing and trying to convince me of all sorts of lies and whispering that I was done for day and night, worthless refuse. Praise be to God for Jesus Christ our Lord who defended me and my brothers and sisters whom He worked through to minister to me as I entered deep confession, deliverance prayer and council.

I can say with confidence,our God is an all consuming fire. When He returns to His temple, learn from my error…be dressed and ready to go! One of my dreams had me running out of the Holy place at night having received a reward…look at me…look at me…only to be met by an official barreling at me out of the dark of night and beating me down. The beating was light, but poignant. Be humble with the gifts He awards you, they’re not primarily for you and you didn’t earn them anyway…they’re gifts.

There is discipline.

There is also redemption by grace…

Then I looked and I saw there were many servants there praying with their backs to me. ‘Who will do it?’ I heard. But no one answered…then suddenly …‘I will do it’ came a voice and I found myself being lifted up and immersed in fire and drawn back up again while the others prayed. The fire did not hurt and it changed me so that I was not on fire, but was one with the fire as it filled me…and then I woke up deeply convicted, trembling and wanting to clean house right NOW! I have known others who have been baptized into Christ, served him faithfully for years…and then one day, while in bed at night or perhaps just sitting under a tree somewhere, without warning… a vision from the Lord that showed them great things that would forever shape their lives and ministry. God is good and He is faithful, His Word does not go forth void, but accomplishes that for which it has been sent.

Make no mistake, our God redeems us that we should know Him and Jesus Christ whom He sent. This so that we should become holy that when He comes to us, He should fill His temple with His presence that we might be a Light to the world and shew forth that the knowledge of YHWY will cover the earth as the waters cover the sea.

I can only say that in all this…much grace has been given me and so much is required…that’s my personal conviction I hope you have one too. Christ has come and He will come again…are you dressed and ready? Are your lamps lit?

May we honor the One who was and is and is to come, the Beginning and the End, the only immortal, invisible and eternal God. May we work out our salvation with fear and trembling that we may be found worthy, being ever watchful for the day of our visitation that we should receive Him graciously when He knocks and may the fire of His glorious presence fill us that we might be holy as He is holy. And may we give glory to God our Father for His great love and patience towards us, His beloved children whom he disciplines in Christ Jesus. Amen

“The kingdom of God is not coming with signs to be observed; nor will they say, ‘Look, here it is!’ or, ‘There it is!’ For behold, the kingdom of God is in your midst.”

Rich Towards God: Luke 12v13-34

God's Kingdom is coming and He is bringing His loving will to bear on the whole world and therefore these squabbles of the old world, the world where the land of Israel is the sign of God's faithfulness and covenant renewal. That is what is expected and that is the kind of justice they are looking for (we see that here in the text) as Jesus heads toward Jerusalem. That is not what God is doing, he's got much grander things going on. In His coming Kingdom which He desires to give us there is no room for people's greed for personal abundance at the cost of others. This is something that is to fade away as God's Kingdom comes just as the Torah is fulfilled in Messiah,and just as the law in ordinances becomes irrelevant...fading away for those who live by the Spirit.

Now Jesus' comment here about not worrying are quite shocking today, we thrive on anxiety as a matter of fact the very act of stopping and being silent for more than just a few minutes drives most people mad. I am one of those people. The Lord is teaching me the importance of slowing down, of sabbath rest. The world will go on without me and the Lord will provide for my needs as I walk with Him. Perhaps it was more shocking to those who heard it then however, people whose lives resemble more like those in Ghana than in Boynton Beach, FL...a place were one sickness in the family could mean homelessness and starvation rather than ...well whatever we happen to be worried about today...birthday parties, a new car or (ironically)an extravagant Christmas.

That can be a difficult thing to see, so one must have the scales removed from our eyes in because we are trained in this country more than any other to achieve ever more, those are weighted and dishonest scales through which we see and muddle through life. It has been taught that if I have abundance while my neighbor is in need of food, I have stolen from him in God's economy where love is the dynamic currency in which we transact. So store up treasures for yourself in heaven that you might be rich before God. That doesn't sit well with capitalism at all. The American dream has run rabid, it should in no way surprise us that God has caused us to revisit our spending habits and the wisdom of our business dealings in this country, not to mention our position of charity towards others. I pray we learn our lesson, myself included. We are a nation under God whether we want to say so or not, all authority has been given the Jesus Christ on earth and in heaven.

May we stop worrying about getting what's ours, all things have been given to us and so it is time for the Saints of God to truly possess them and as we have freely received, so should we freely give, knowing that this is God's will for His people in Messiah Jesus, His royal priesthood, that we should love and care for all creation giving glory to God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ. Lord remove from we, your people, this spirit of anxiety and worry, this lack of trust and any spirits of greed that You might be all the more glorified. Amen

The Heat Is On: Luke 12v1-12

Things are really starting to heat up as we progress through Luke's gospel. People are crowding around and the mood is becoming like that of a politcal rally married to a military coup d'etat. Jesus offers his disciples some additional warnings as they continue their journey to Jerusalem. These are warnings that we ought to bear in mind as we answer the altar call of Jesus as join him in his march towards his vision of a world set right.

First he says listen, people are crowding round. Do not be like one of those play actors! I need you to be completely loyal to me and the Kingdom. Watch out for gossip from your mouths and further more be wise about what you say, be careful of your speculations. Do not be like those who listen to me and invite me for dinner only to deny me before others.

If your loyalty to me fails and you get caught up in all this business there is Herod or Rome who may kill you, but there is one who starts by killing and then has the right to throw people into Gehenna. That's the one to fear.

God however you can trust! Do not be afraid! You are worth so much to Him! So do not deny me and I will not deny you before God's angels! Now you might speak something against me and that can be forgiven, but do not deny what the Holy Spirit has been up to....that will not be forgiven! So when they bring you to accusation it is the Holy Spirit that will give you utterance even at that very moment. So do not fear, but trust.

May we go forth with Jesus in faithfulness and in truth. May we be wise and committed even when pressure builds upon us and fear seeks to over take us. May we give no right to the world or to the evil one to kill us or torment us, but may we trust God, our loving Father in all things and in Jesus Christ whom He has sent us, following Him in the works He has prepared before hand that we should walk in them. Amen

I Object! Luke 11v42-54

There are unwritten rules in society. Some people and things you just don't challenge. Yeah, Jesus is not concerned with that very much. Here he calls into Light the Pharisees and scribes. How will they take it? Will they come into the Light or will they recede into darkness?

Surprisingly for many, Jesus main issue with the Pharisee's was not their 'religiosity'. It was not that they taught a different way to 'get saved' and go to heaven that was works based and Jesus brought the true 'by faith alone' way, that was a contention that would arise about 1500 years later, not the issue in the bible. The issue had much less to do with the Pharisees religion and much more to do with their hearts, the issue of the ages. This is why Jesus says that unless your righteousness (covenant faithfulness) exceeds that of the Pharisees, you will never enter the Kingdom of Heaven. So it is that Luke follows up the previous interaction regarding Jesus call to his Pharisaic host to clean the inside of the cup as well as the outside.

What made the Pharisees insides so bad? During this time the Pharisees were a political and social force who were trying to codify the Torah for nationalist purposes and a political agenda. This is why they had lawyers (scribes) scurrying along after them all the time. They were a powerful group to contend with, seemingly having God on their side of the courtroom the held significant sway over the masses and could insight them to nationalistic action very quickly using religious pressure points. They had stopped really caring about true justice, mercy and the love of God and so people suffered, becoming pawns in their game and it was going to eventually come to a head with Rome.

So, Jesus makes his case against them in a very formal way that we call 'the woes'. You don't help the people at all! You make other people unclean just by dealing with you because you make yourself clean on the outside, its a trick! Your ancestors murdered all those God sent to you and you memorialize what they did by building tombs! You are going to bring all this down on your own heads and this whole generation will pay the price for it!

You have the key to knowledge and look how you use it! You stop people from entering its peace and you yourselves don't even enter!

Needless to say...these religio-political power players were thoroughly unhappy with Jesus and given His Kingdom message which was diametrically opposed to the way they were using Torah, therefore making all their work and effort towards establish God's Kingdom through legislation obsolete and in God's eyes, utterly irrelevant and sinful. These guys are officially pissed off now. Now they are just looking for him to say something wrong that they might devour him. I do want to point out that within that group there were people like Nicodemus, who sought Jesus, even though they did so in secret given the hearts and power and positions of the majority of their contemporaries.

May we seek the Kingdom in the Way of God and not in our own. May we allow God to challenge our understandings and not be so married to what we've done theologically, politically, socially or legally that we cannot go where the Spirit leads us. May we be wise in the Spirit. May we never forget justice, mercy and the love of God in our pursuits of holiness, for it is these things that make us truly holy, truly righteous. And may, through the working of the Spirit in these ways, the Kingdom come upon us according to His glorious promises. Amen

Light It Up!: Luke 11v29-41

You are a generation of Christians and the followers of Gandhi will receive more blessing than you in the Resurrection. You are a generation of 'by faith alone' Protestant Christians, so show me your faith! I tell you that the disciples of Mother Theresa will rise up and be your judges in the Resurrection, she saw I was hungry and fed me, thirsty and she gave me drink. You confess me as Lord for a mansion while you live in a gated community and I tell you the Palestinian peasant searching for food and shelter will rule over you!

Am I making friends yet?

God does not put the Light in people simply for themselves. It is meant to illuminate the whole world and if you go on putting it under cover everyone will suffer! That's stupid! Lift it up! A light that is not illuminating quickly turns to darkness itself, but if your whole body is lit up, everything will receive light like a flash of lightening and everything that receives light, becomes light! Are you a Christian and do you not know this? That the glory of God gives this City it's Light? That the Lamb is the lamp and by its Light all the nations are to be enabled to walk and bring their glory into it?

A Light is not something that merely reflects the Light of another, but is itself a source of Light. Therefore do not merely have an outward appearance, but give alms from your inner self that all things would be clean for you....that is give yourself to God from the inside out, that you might become one with Him who is Light and there is no darkness in Him at all. Child, grow up into the fullness of Christ.

May we let our Light shine today that those we warn of the trouble they are getting themselves into would turn and be saved. May we be Light that people come from near and far to learn from and be transformed by in Messiah. May God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord be glorified by what we do with the Wisdom and Teaching, the Word, that has come to us and the love, joy, peace, patience,kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness,self-control that are produced by Him...even indeed while there is still work to be done in this City. May the nations flow to His Holy Mountain, His great City of Peace, Jerusalem ...the City that appears down from Heaven. Amen

Don't Leave the House Empty: Luke 11v14-28

Things are not always as they seem. Sure people are being healed. The poor are receiving the good news of God's Kingdom. Hope is springing forth in the midst of the us...but things are not always as they seem!

Jesus' opponents not only wanted to reject the very difficult message he was preaching, they wanted to place him in league with Beelzebul so they could launch a counter-attack. So Jesus points out that these people are not only not with him, they are full on against him.

Who is Beelzebul? Beelzebul was a common nickname for the personal source of evil. When a person is unclean, a sinner, they were trash so it is that they are ruled by 'the Lord of flies' which is roughly what 'Beelzebul' or 'Beelzebub' means. This guy is in league with the devil they were saying...a witch!

Jesus simply points out that if the satan is against himself, his kingdom will not stand, so why would he be binding and casting out his own? This was also a jab at them since by now there were great divisions between the different sects of Judaism and they were constantly at odds with themselves, working against one another. Jesus however knows he has to deal with the source of the problem, the root, otherwise its just going to keep coming back. He will ultimately do this at the cross, but this is his way of dealing with things. There is a lot of Wisdom in that. Here, Jesus takes them back to Moses with the phrase 'finger of God' and in this way not only sets himself up as one with the authority of the Father, but shuts down any further attempts that they may make to put him in cahoots with the likes of Pharoah's magicians. No, Jesus says, if he casts out demons by the finger of God, then the Kingdom of Heaven has come upon you!

Jesus then takes it from the personal and brings us up to the bigger picture. He has had an initial triumph over the satan in the wilderness and now has authority over all his minions. Let us not forget that Jesus is on his way to Jerusalem, his goal was not just to heal people, but to launch God's Kingdom on earth as in heaven for the sake of Israel first and ultimately, embodied in his Church, for the whole world.

Jesus tells us about his binding of the strong man, satan, and then this evil spirit that leaves and then comes back, with seven more evil spirits. Israel had had several messianic movements and been cleansed, not least the Maccabean movement, only to end up worse off than it was before. The point is that unless God becomes King and dwells in your midst, it'll end up worse than before. Jesus came doing and saying the things that only YHWY did and said, for him the Messiah is the Son of God and so he was the embodiment of the return of God to his people. If they rejected him and his message, surely they would come to utter ruin.

Then some lady in the crowd cries out in praise and applause for Jesus. He rejects this and makes it clear that he is unconcerned with this type of thing, 'when the Word of God is at work, what is required is not applause, but obedience.'

May we overcome the satan and his 'world' by faith that we might be cleansed of all evil and become a dwelling place for the living God in the midst of the people, carrying forward his sovereign, healing and loving rule into all the world which our Father so loves. May he who prayed that we not be taken out of the world, but rather be kept from the evil one, may he be blessed by grateful obedience, forever and ever glorified. Amen

A Son's Prayer: Luke 11v1-13

I never realized how powerful the Lord's prayer was until I was invited to participate in a Kairos weekend. During the training and fellowship sessions that led up to the mission weekend we gathered round and sang this prayer to the Lord, hand in hand. It was amazing every time we came to the Lord in this way. It quickly became my favorite part. It is powerful to communicate with God the way Jesus taught us to and it inspires, by the Holy Ghost, all the prayer that extends out from this prayer and into all the intimate details of what we pray about with our Father daily.

When you address God as Father, let it be clear that you are addressing the God of the Exodus with everything that means. It means you are talking to the God who said Israel is my firstborn son to Pharaoh, so he had better let them go. You are addressing the God of the oppressed, the one who delivers, the one who parts the sea for His beloved and brings it crashing in on all the evil that pursues it and wishes to destroy and enslave it. When you call on God the Father, you are calling on the one true and holy God who is always with you and not in some detached place 'out there'. You are entering into relationship and you are entering into battle.

You can learn a lot about someone by the way they pray. Jesus prays very simply, but with great power. He doesn't stack up words, he doesn't speak with an idle tongue. Every word is carefully conceived and empowered that it should not come back void. His prayers rip through the principalities and powers like a flaming double edged sword. I am glad He is before the Father interceding for you and for me.

Between this prayer and the prayer disclosed in John 17 we also come to understand what Jesus believed about his own mission and purpose as well as his desires for those the Father had given him to become His body upon His ascension to the throne.
So it is that here Jesus seeks to bring us into His mission in a very intimate way, in prayer. To pray as Jesus prays so that when he goes away we would be able to continue his mission in the world, carrying within ourselves His presence as well as his hope and his faith, having become one with him who is one with the Father. Yes, his people being built together as the dwelling place for God in the Spirit.

Therefore having more than idle words, but words that are empowered by the Holy Spirit let us pray. Pray powerful words that take down strongholds and deliver, words that bring life and new creation. Don't be overwhelmed, you do not know how to speak such things nor do I, but the Holy Spirit in us speaks these words that are Spirit and Truth, within our words. We do not know how to pray, but the Spirit intercedes for us.

Jesus goes on to encourage us that we can be assured that the Father will not give us something that is not good for us. So ask him for the Holy Spirit that you might pray fervently and in righteousness. The Spirit of God, the one who empowers the Kingdom to come, the one who provides your daily bread, the one who forgives your sins in accordance with how you forgive others and the one who will keep you from the perilous trial. Pray God send that Spirit upon you, then can you go to battle for the oppressed and the oppressor, the downtrodden and the rich young ruler, the widow and the orphan, the addict and the homeless and the criminal and the victim, your friends and neighbors, your family and your community, your pastors and elders. There is indeed much to pray about...

May we go forth in our prayer life with persistence of an annoying friend and in the power of the Holy Spirit and may the Lord grant all things asked in his Name that are in accordance with His will and by the council of His great purposes. Amen

Stop and Listen: Luke 10v38-42

"Things need to get done around here."

It is a fact of life that there are chores to be done round the house and most people like to have snacks and stuff available when company is over and of course the house can't look anything like it does on a regular basis when you have guests.

There comes a time when these things need to fade into the background, when the things we are typically so concerned with need to acknowledge the presence of God and his judgements. The Revelation of St. John goes so far as to put it like this; "Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat upon it, from whose presence earth and heaven fled away, and no place was found for them." When you receive Jesus into your house, that is...your person, he is excited when hospitality is shown, when he is greeted with thanksgiving and praise, tears of repentance and wondrous emotion...just look at his reaction to those who received him in some of the other stories, or even perhaps your own story. The Lord, however, has come to your house for a purpose. He has been sent into the world to save the world and not to condemn it. So should we not gather round to hear his judgements, remember His wonders which He has done, His marvels and the judgments uttered by His mouth? Indeed, Mary chose the better portion. In reflecting on some research put out by efficiency experts, a pastor recently put it like this, there comes a time to chose the important over the urgent.

So may we seek the Word of God in our lives and in doing so find His great wonders worked out in our individual and community life, that His grace towards us may not be in vain, but that we should become the covenant faithfulness of God in the world. May we chose the better portion and know when to let even heaven and earth flee, that we might mount up on wings like eagles, hearing and seeing the Word of God. Amen

The way of the righteous is smooth;
O Upright One, make the path of the righteous level.
Indeed, while following the way of Your judgments, O LORD,
We have waited for You eagerly;
Your name, even Your memory, is the desire of our souls.
At night my soul longs for You,
Indeed, my spirit within me seeks You diligently;
For when the earth experiences Your judgments
The inhabitants of the world learn righteousness.

Howdy Neighbor: Luke 10v25-37

Just after we learn of Jesus celebrating God's will being accomplished, on earth as in heaven and his vision of the fall of the chief prosecutor(satan)from heaven like lightening, we have a lawyer show up to test Jesus. Doesn't it just seem to happen that way sometimes? Anyway...

The lawyer asks him a question, Jesus points him back to the commandments with a rebuttal question and the man answers well (a very common rabbinic interaction). Then in an effort to justify himself (really to cover his hatred of his neighbors), the lawyer asks Jesus, "Who is my neighbor?".

Jesus proceeds to tell him a story with a Samaritan as the hero, the one who did the right thing over and above those who were supposed to be holy, the children of Light (We will see more of this from Jesus, not least of which is the parable of the dishonest manager in Luke 16). This Samaritan did the will of God. He did not ask who is my neighbor, but rather asked who am I a neighbor to...and then he acted with exceeding compassion. I reiterate, this Samaritan, did the will of God. Did our Lord not say, ""Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven." But this Samaritan, heard the Word of the Lord and believed in Him. Who then has entered the Kingdom of God?

I wonder how it would go over today...who are the Samaritans to the Christian Church at large? Why is there a need for movie's titled things like "Lord, Save Us From Your Followers" - would most Christians turn to justify themselves like this lawyer..."they just don't want to hear the truth!" Do the children of this world still deal more shrewdly with the people than we, those who are called to be children of Light by God's grace? I'm not sure, but if you ever find yourself beat down on the road...I hope there's a 'good Samaritan' that walks by...he might convert you to Christ and you can let him know he's a Christian. Then you can both enter together and glorify God in the Messiah.

Casting Down The Satan: Luke 10v17-23

Well, Sebastian, my eight year old,started summer camp today. So my morning scripture study partner is not with me(we'll be switching to evening study for summer), but I pray the Lord will minister through this anyway...grace and peace!

God's purposes for the salvation of the world are going forward and you are a part of it! This, Jesus says, is much better than the authority you have over spirits. Your names are written in heaven, this should be the cause of great celebration!

Jesus has had a clear vision of the heavenly reality that their ministry had accomplished. 'I saw the satan fall like lightning from heaven', He says. Who is this mysterious satan that Jesus is referring to? The one he overcame in a personal way in the wilderness, the one whom even his disciples were now casting down from authority and the one whom he would ultimately overcome by the cross and resurrection.

Satan means 'accuser', he is the "Director of Public Prosecutions in God's heavenly council" (Job 1v6-12; 2v1-7; Zechariah 3v1-2) This accuser, however, had gone out into the world in order to incite things for which to accuse, with his ultimate goal to even accuse God himself for making such a creation that needs saving. So of course his primary target is Israel and ultimately the Messiah, this would have been the ultimate victory, if he could trick Jesus into self destruction. Jesus, however, had beat him in the wilderness and now his disciples were destroying his works and showing him up for what he was, someone who wanted to accuse God by destroying His good creation from the inside out. So a major part of Jesus ministry was, as its written, to destroy the works of the devil. He would do this by the decisive victory won on the cross and ultimately attested to by the resurrection. This opened the Way for the redemption of the world, God's new creation in which evil and death would ultimately be removed.

Yes, indeed. Your name's have been written in heaven and you ought to rejoice with your King in this, because a New Heaven and New Earth, where Righteousness dwells is our ultimate hope, a hope that is being tasted every time a stronghold of satan is torn down, every time one sinner repents and turns back to God through His Son...the Way, the Truth and the Life, Him to whom all things have been handed over to by the Father.

So, may we go forth in the anointing of our great Lord and Savior, because He has sent us into the world just as He was sent into the world. God's future purposes for His good creation are going forward in the Messiah...these things the ancients strongly desired to see and so blessed also are your eyes if you come to see and your ears are opened to hear. Amen

Dirty Feet and Tears: Luke 10v10-16

I wasn't planning on posting today, but I've been praying, reading and meditating over this for a couple days now...so be blessed and may the Spirit fall afresh on you this Pentecost leading you out into the world for His great purposes!

So, Jesus is headed to Jerusalem and this may be the last time he passes through these towns calling people back to the Way of peace. He has sent His seventy two ahead of him whom the Lord had given a share of His Spirit (echoing Numbers 11); however, the reality is that most people in Jesus time, especially the religious leaders, really had no desire for peace and this worked its way through society. They wanted war and violence towards their neighbors, the Samaritans, and their pagan occupiers the Romans. Then, so they thought, the anger of YHWY would be roused on their side and He would finally act decisively to deliver them from exile. The problem was that this desire in their heart was in fact the root of their exile. Their true prison, their true Egypt was their sin (just as it is ours) and Jesus was going to accomplish the exodus that would lead them out of it.

Jesus and his disciples came into these towns saying things like love your enemies and pray for them, if they make you go one mile with them, go two…crazy stuff, ridiculous love. There was a sense of urgency too, because YHWY’s anger was about to be kindled and for those who rejected the message of the true Kingdom and the Way would be consumed by it because their desire for violence and destruction would be their own end not those they wished it against, and the lack of desire for peace in their hearts, the lack of hospitality and grace would play out into a greater condemnation for them, greater than that of Sodom!

God himself was with them testifying by great miracles that this was the Way and that Jesus was the Son of Man spoken of by Daniel…they would soon see him coming on the clouds (that is Ascending to His heavenly throne), He was the true Son of God as opposed to Caesar’s claim to that title and yet his own people desired violence, they desired to rule by the sword rather than by service. They indeed had received Caesar’s way…the way of men, only they wanted to sit on the throne over the world and so rebellion stirred. Those who live by the sword, die by it and so the condemnation would not come in the form of fire falling from the sky, but by the force of the greatest military power in the world falling on them and snatching them off into captivity, building up a wall around Jerusalem, with tens of thousands slain by crucifixion, starvation running rampant causing them even to consume their own children and so ultimately the destruction of the temple and Jerusalem herself. Jesus was trying to lead the people out of this…Repent! For the Kingdom of Heaven has come near to you! But many would not hear.

This was no joke. When they rejected Jesus’ messengers, they rejected Jesus himself, and those who reject Jesus, reject YHWY, the Father of all. These people were very much embracing their own destruction. If we are to be like Jesus, then we will call people out of their destructive ways (because the wages of sin is death) and if they reject the Good News of Jesus and with it the love and healing we demonstrate to them …then we are to wipe the dust from our feet against them and this is to be done with nothing less than a heavy heart and tears lest we become just like them. Yes, just as Jesus would soon weep over Jerusalem saying…"Would that you, even you, had known on this day the things that make for peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes. For the days will come upon you, when your enemies will set up a barricade around you and surround you and hem you in on every side and tear you down to the ground, you and your children within you. And they will not leave one stone upon another in you, because you did not know the time of your visitation." So should we weep for those who continue down the path of destruction, praying fervently…whether it’s pride, violence, thieving, drugs, sexual immorality...whatever destroys our humanity, our image bearingness…death is its end.

May we lead others in the Way of peace with great patience, even as we are led by the great Shepherd of the Sheep. May we not seek destruction, but peace in His Way so that when tribulation comes we may be of those who stand and the house we have built for His glory may not be burned up. Truly, in that day, when we have stood through, kept in Christ-not forgetting the Love that we first knew, God himself will wipe every tear from our eyes and the leaves of the Tree shall be for the healing of the nations because then we shall have the strength to fully know His great love for us. Amen. Come Lord Jesus, Come.

Evangelism 101: Luke 10v5-9

We had been seeking God for a while. We had children. We knew that God's ways were the best ways even though we didn't understand much more than the good morals, the character and the community the church offered and that we wanted that for our kids. We had recently experience a very traumatic loss of a friend and that was added into the cesspool of confusion, pain and wounds that was our life. We did not understand the depth, the width or the breadth of God's love...I don't know if we can ever truly understand that...only desire to with everything we are.

We began to understand thanks to an evangelist. Not someone standing in the town square engaged in rapid fire debate with pagan philosophers or in a Jewish synagogue, but an evangelist like Jesus. He had been away at seminary and came back into town, very excited to see a young couple at our more traditional church (Baptist). Without much delay he was on his way over to our house for supper. To this day he says he had no intention of 'evangelizing' us but the Lord led and we had questions about this church thing and about this Jesus person. As we prepared dinner for him, he explained who Jesus was and how he had saved us from our sins, he talked about him being more than a savior, but Lord as well. He explained what held the church together was Jesus himself and that he was what made us part of the church and the church has a purpose in the world. Robin and I received his message and turned toward Jesus as our Lord and Savior that evening, committing our lives to God. We met with the senior pastor shortly thereafter, we prayed...it was a tearful time as we experienced God's grace and were baptized shortly thereafter as the first act of obedience to our Father and to our King. I remember our friend who had shared the Word with us giving us a big hug, he was in tears...he was just so grateful God had used him.

May we, in our going, be prepared to deliver the Good News and may our peace find children of peace that God has prepared, our blessings rest on many a house, and all in Jesus name to the glory of the God the Father.

Lambs in Farmville: Luke10v2-4

There are many people who know that things are not right in the world and want to believe that there is more to life than going through the day to day motions. Eternity has been placed in the hearts of men and as the song goes, deep cries out for deep. When Jesus sent out the seventy-two this was a small number compared with how many poor and suffering who desired in their deepest being to be set free from the weight of oppression and sin, who wanted to know God and hungered for His faithfulness and for the renewal of the covenant through the Messiah. The number today of those who are willing to go out as lambs are still very few. To go out with the gift of peace in humility and grace and truly invite people into the Kingdom by healing and generosity, this is what Jesus sends his disciples out to do. We are not to come with worldly possessions, selling mansions or threatening hell, we do not ask ourselves or them "Who will ascend into heaven?' Will you?'" that is, to bring Christ down or "'Who will descend into the abyss? Will you?'" that is,to bring Christ up from the dead. But what do we say? "The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart" that is, the word of faith that the disciples of Jesus proclaim according to Paul the Apostle. The law and the prophets were until John and people were forcibly pushed through all sorts of manipulation and posturing into doing God's will, into the Kingdom, only to be taken advantage of and ravaged by wolves, and so they were prevented from entering and even those who were to guiding them did not enter.

May we go forth as lambs, being slaughtered all day long for the sake of those who would be saved, knowing that in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. Being sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

2x2: Luke 10v1

The more I seek to follow Jesus the more I see how his ways are not only practical, nor do they 'just' fulfill the righteous requirements of the law, but they are the best way to go about things. Someone once told me that to truly obey God is more than just doing what you are told, but it is doing what you are told believing in your inmost being that it is the best possible way.

Here, Jesus sends his messengers ahead of him in two's. This not only fulfills the law in that it fulfills the practical requirement for two witnesses, but it provides for continuing fellowship and should one stumble the other is there to pick them up. It also testifies to the way in which God has testified in the past and how the OT copies of heavenly things give way to the actual heavenly things.

It was pointed out somewhere that on the arc of the covenant the two cherubim are facing one another and are of one with the mercy seat and it is there in the midst of that interaction where Almighty God meets with men, where Heaven and Earth meet. So it is no wonder, I suppose, that Jesus says wherever two or more are gathered in my name there am I with them. We have been focused on a personal relationship with Jesus for a long time and while that is so very important, what it ends up reflecting more often than not is the culture of individualism in which we find ourselves planted. So I am at once thrilled and scared to see movements of people who love Jesus taking a more communal and missional approach to their faith. Thrilled because it is more biblical, scared because...it's more biblical... and that means I have to pray for personal change and to take my own faith more seriously. Never the less, Jesus wants us together as one whether we are gathered in worship or sent out to the harvest to gather others. This, I believe, is the best possible way to go about things.

May God provide us each with a ministry partner, a friend, a confidant...a person that we can look at and know... He is in the midst of us. May we discover that it is His mercy that makes us one and within us He has placed a testimony to be delivered to the people. From all this, may we find boldness and strength to go wherever He may send us.

The Cost of Discipleship - Luke 9v57-62

To follow Jesus is difficult and to proclaim the Kingdom of God takes precedence over all things. It requires a complete re-prioritization. This is not easy and Jesus wants you to know that up front. The fact that the Messiah loves you and died for your sins, in accordance with the scriptures, does not change this fact. Consistent with Jesus' teachings, Paul refers to the walk of faith as a fight, a battle. For this reason it is to our advantage that Jesus went away, because he sent His Spirit as a Helper to us and he says that this is much better for us. So may we each follow the Way to the degree that the faith we've been given will allow, careful not grieve the Spirit, even as we pray that more would be given by the power of the Spirit and that the Kingdom would increase to the glory of God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord.

Luke 9v51-56

As Jesus sets his intentions toward Jerusalem where he will accomplish his exodus he sends his messengers (angels) before him (Exodus 23v20), but this is a new exodus story he also sends his messenger before him as the prophet Malachi says (Malachi 3v1) to go ahead of him as he arrives to save and to judge, which is exactly what is to happen on the cross, the place where the trinitarian purposes of justice, mercy and faithfulness are put on display for all to see, all the peoples have seen the salvation of our God. The way of Jesus is the way to the true promised land and it is also the way God returns to his people. The veil is torn, so we can get to Heaven, and Heaven can get to us. I am reminded of Jacob's vision of the ladder between heaven and earth, with angels ascending and descending...that ladder is the cross of the Messiah.

Now... the disciples are still stumbling after Jesus trying to understand all this and when they meet some people who do not receive Jesus as he is set to inaugurate the Messianic reign, the Kingdom without end, they immediately think we have to whack these people, they figure they've got the power of Elijah and they will destroy all opposition to the arrival of the Kingdom. Jesus quickly rebukes them, because the Kingdom does not come that way, it comes by the way of sacrificial love, an amazing love full of grace and truth...this is the Way. The Way that will shock and offend, but to those who are being saved it is the power of God. He reminds them again...follow me.

(ref. Luke for Everyone - Tom Wright)

Are They Even On Our Team? Luke 9v49-50

So once we realize that to be the least is actually to be the greatest. We often, like John, want to answer that...wait a minute we tried to stop that guy over there from casting out demons in your name because they do not follow with us. We've been loyal, you called and we followed...we left our children, wives, homes and businesses? What gives?

To which Jesus responds, if they aren't against you they are for you. In essence, it is about doing the will of the Father and if they are not practicing lawlessness and being counterproductive to the Kingdom then let them be. The irony is that later on Peter who will face a terrible martyrdom for the Kingdom will look at John and ask Jesus, what about that guy...to which Jesus replies don't worry about what he is called to do, you just follow me and do what you're supposed to do.

May we listen for His Word to us and for us each day, that once we've done His will we may hear the warm embrace of 'well done good and faithful servant', rather than the cold separation of 'get back from me because I never knew you.'

Competing for the Top Job - Luke 9v46-48

We all want to achieve. If it's not in our nature it is surely in our culture. We want this for many different reasons, most of which are self serving. Whether we want to be the greatest for money, authority, fame or to be served by others...but Jesus has a different idea.

If you take a position where you receive the one who can offer you absolutely nothing, then you have shown God's love. It will in fact cost you all those things you would, in your nature, fight and argue with your Brothers to attain. It should not be this way. You see, unless you are willing to lose your life, you will never gain Life. However, when you receive the child, then you receive Jesus and Jesus says in such a case you have also received the Father who sent Him. If you make yourself a servant to all, then are you the greatest in the Kingdom. In the book, Jacob the Baker, the author writes (and I'll paraphrase), 'If we were to treat all whom we come in contact with as though they were the Messiah, I am sure the Messiah would come quickly.' May we all seek to attain such a mind and life towards others, Father have mercy in Jesus name.

Dark Mysteries - Luke 9v43b-45

This is a saying that is going to take some time to reveal itself, let it sink in.

Some Words of God that may seem so obvious are often not, because these have been hidden since the foundation of the world. It is for God to reveal. You see, it is not that they have not always been there, but they have not been unveiled, but all good gifts 'come down' or 'appear' from the Father and there are many treasures stored up in heaven for us, and so we seek Him and His Kingdom.

'The Son of Man is about to be delivered into the hands of men', this is of course a reference to the passion of the Messiah and His death on the cross for us. This was indeed a dark mystery, so much so that his disciples where afraid to ask Him to open it to them.

We often are afraid of the utterances of God because we either fail to understand or to embrace that it is out of darkness that Light comes. This is the way of God. This is why we set our hopes on the things above, this is why we endure toward the hope that is set before us. So when dealing with the darker things that Jesus speaks, we must not be afraid to ask, knowing that on the other side of suffering, even suffering unto death...there is Resurrection. So if we ask, it will be given and if anyone lacks wisdom let him ask God who gives generously. That way we can make known the mysteries of His will.

This saying is also about more than the Messiah's death it is about the empowerment of mankind. God has given His only begotten Son into the hands of men, what will they do with Him? They crucified Him, but it had to be this way because unless a Seed falls to the ground and dies it remains a single Seed, but if it falls to the ground and dies many more may live. God has given you the good gift of the Eternal Seed in the Word which you received, what are you doing with Him?