How far will you go?
Luke 8 tells a familiar story many have found great comfort in during their Christian walk. It starts in verse 22 and tells the story of Jesus calming the storm while his fearful, faithless disciples panicked. Jesus speaks to the storm and brings calm where there once was chaos. Just like the first disciples many of us have had moments where we look at what Jesus has done and say “who then is this, that he commands even winds and water, and they obey Him?” It is a powerful story that encourages us when the seas are raging all around us.But… where was he going? In the very beginning it is clear that Jesus is the one who instructed them to get into the boat and told them where to go. “Let us go across to the other side of the lake.” Jesus knew there would be a storm. What was waiting on the other side that Jesus so intently sought after?It’s not really what was on the other side, it’s who was on the other side. As soon as Jesus steps onto land He is met by a man afflicted by a legion of demons. The man is described in detail. He wears no clothes and has no home. Instead he lives among the tombs and people put shackles and chains on him to try and contain him. He was a tortured, disturbed and deeply scarred man. He was the one Jesus faced down the storm to go find.In an act of amazing love and grace Jesus heals the man. When the people come out to see what all the fuss is about they find him sitting at the feet of Jesus “clothed and in his right mind.” What a restoration, what a healing, what a Saviour! The people of the area are afraid and beg Jesus to go. From their reaction it seems they would have preferred this man stay in chains. The man who had been healed begs Jesus to stay. Jesus, before leaving, gives him these instructions- “Return to your home, and declare how much God has done for you.”From all indications the only reason Jesus set out on this journey at all was to meet this man. Once he ministers to this man he quietly gets in the boat and leaves. Luke describes the scene Jesus initially left in vs. 4 as a great crowd with people from town after town. He left thousands to find this one. He faced a storm to find this one. He faced down a legion of demons to heal this one. He went to whatever lengths were necessary for this one.How far will you go for one? Our great Savior calls us to come and follow Him and treat others the way He treated them. He treated this man as if he was all that mattered. Will you do the same? Will you sacrifice your comfort zone, your safety, your time, your priorities to follow Jesus on His mission to “seek and save the lost?” You are important and valuable to Jesus. So is everyone you meet; go find them and tell them. Know Every Name.
Know Every Name Challenge
“But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. To him the gatekeeper opens. The sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.” John 10:2-3Jesus had just healed a blind man. The pharisees had just excommunicated that same blind man. What a day it must have been for that man! On one side he had just been healed of a blindness that had kept him in darkness his entire life. On the other side he had just been cast out by the people who, at least in that town, spoke for God. Who was he to believe and follow? If he followed the man who had given him sight then according to the pharisees he no longer had any part in the community of Moses… the community of God.It is in this context that Jesus tells the story of the good Shepherd. The good Shepherd is contrasted with the hired hand who is out for his own greed and gain. So different is the good Shepherd that He is willing to lay down His life for His sheep. He will stop at no length to protect His sheep. While describing His relationship with the sheep Jesus tells us WHY the sheep follow this Shepherd and don’t trust themselves to the hired hand. “He calls his own sheep by name.” He knows their name and they know His voice. Stop for a moment and think of how it makes you feel to think that Jesus, the Creator of the universe and all that is in it, knows your name…
Do you feel accepted?
Do you feel loved?
Cared for?
Important?
Valued?
What a powerful truth that Jesus knows each of His sheep by name.What if you could make others feel that way? What if you could make everyone you meet realize that they are important, valued and loved because they are made in the very image of God? It starts by knowing their name.One of our principles in every member on mission is to “know every name.” What that means is taking the first step to make the people you meet feel valued and loved by God. That first step is to ask them their name. Throughout the months of November and December we as a Church will be challenging ourselves to put our smartphones, our busy schedules, our self interests and our pride down and instead get to know the people all around us by simply asking them their name. When you meet someone at the store- ask them their name. When you meet someone new at work- ask them their name. When you give someone a few dollars out your car window- ask them their name. Give them the time, dignity and attention that God gives to you so freely. Maybe you’ll learn more of their story. Maybe you’ll have a great conversation and can share some hope with them. Maybe you can find a way to pray for them. Maybe not, but you will never know if you don’t take the time to start. Know every name.As we each walk through this challenge together and push ourselves out of our comfort zones let’s encourage one another. If you have a “know every name” story please share it with us. You can e-mail it to any of the pastors or share it on facebook with the hashtag #knoweveryname (tag the Church too.) This is new and can be intimidating, so let’s stir one another to love and good works (Hebrews 10:24) and work on this together.You are important and valuable to your Father. So is everyone you meet; go tell them. Know Every Name.
Fear as it Relates to Idolatry
There are millions of pages of counseling helps that have been written on overcoming fear. Here are a few more, but in this contribution, a different aspect of fear is addressed as it may relate to succumbing to the temptation of an idolatrous heart.Phobias and anxieties are not just focused and centered around one particular aspect of life for us, i.e., “going out”, “new jobs”, “facing exams”, being alone, etc.If that were the case, then once the new job became familiar, or the exam was complete, or once I was out and about, then the fear of such things would never confront one again.BUT… Fear is a perpetual state or disposition of the soul. It is a scarred lens through which we view and perceive all of life. Regardless of the “thing(s)” one fears, the soul will latch onto something else once the other thing is diminished or curtailed by some manipulative means that we use to keep it under control.A fearful soul will always keep itself occupied by “nourishing” itself with something else to fear.Why…Because Fear is a “covert” self-love that creates a preoccupation to over-protect oneself. If one has nothing at hand to pre-occupy self, then self will find something else onto which it may grasp.Possibly unaware to the fearful soul, phobias and anxieties may become cherished and dear because they draw all energies of oneself to a central point – “ME”.The reason we latch onto phobias of things and circumstance is because they are so very intense. The intensity is exactly the right prescription for nourishing a self-absorbed soul.Even if one has found some way to “keep the phobia at bay” or to manage the anxiety by manipulating the world to where one can regulator the phobias, one will always keep it near in case one needs another surge of self-absorption. A fearful soul endears fear.Things and circumstances that cause panic in us may be “controlled” in our minds and we’ve done everything we can to “protect” ourselves from that next attack, but we treat them as we would treat a supply of emergency food – close, and in reach…just in case.This is IDOLATRY. Idolatry is a self-focused life.A fearful soul does not just “yield” to the temptation to be self-focused, i.e., occasions that stir phobias, panic, anxieties, we actually calculate and subtly seek out the next swell of fear because we cannot tolerate a time when we are free from self. The more intense the fear, the more absorbed we are with self and the more satisfied an idolatrous heart becomes. It is a dreadful place in which the soul dwells to be nourished.In that we yield to the temptation to nurture the soul by our fleshly drives we construct phobias or fantasies that ought to be resisted when one realizes that it is nothing more than idolatry.1 Cor 10.13-14 No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.14* Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry. YIELDING to the TEMPTATION to be overcome by fearfulness is IDOLATRY.What is that “way of escape”?The way of escape is “TIME” with Christ.There is no pill or word or sentence that will “Fix” the self-absorbed state of the heart.A “fearless” soul, on the other hand, fears God. The fear of God will set one free from ten thousand other fears. A heart that fears God is “God-focused”.What does it mean to fear God? People who have “irrational” phobias--fear of heights, small places, crowds, loneliness, elevators, telephones, water, darkness, exposure to uncontrollable circumstances, or even bugs--often seek out psychological help to overcome their unnatural and debilitating fears. They go deep into the abyss of a heart that knows no bounds of darkness in order to gain personal insight; but, not for deliverance, rather, for control. A trickle charge of panic or phobic reaction is just what a self-absorbed heart needs when it senses emptiness.On the other hand, the fear of God is not an irrational state of the soul. It is a godly lens through which one views life. It makes logical sense when you focus on the facts about who God is and what He is like.The biblical concept of the fear of the Lord involves recognition of the power, greatness, authority, and holiness of God. It is a healthy fear. It means we respect Him, shudder at the thought of His righteousness against our sin, hold Him in awe, reverence Him, recognize Him as absolute Lord, and honor Him. The right kind of fear, the fear of the Lord, drives us to the Lord--not away from Him! It will never dive deeper into self, but freedom and deliverance from self. Our eyes are on Him, not ourselves.To be God-Focused, we must spend all the days of our lives absorbing Christ through:His word and obedience to it,Fellowship with the saints,Life consuming prayer,Sharing with others the goodness of the gospel by word and deed, and inSensitivity to the Holy Spirit with whom we were sealed until we acquire possession of our heavenly estate. It is the Holy Spirit that fills an empty soul and nourishes it with His presence.This abiding journey with Christ spans over our entire life; whereby we live in self-abandon and we are Christ-absorbed.It takes TIME – It takes a lifetime, but that is the way God does what He does – over time; and given time, our self-absorption will be destroyed.2 Cor 10.3* For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh.4* For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds.5* We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ,2 Cor 5.15 and he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised.2Ti 1:12* which is why I suffer as I do. But I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed, and I am convinced that he is able to guard until that Day what has been entrusted to me.Heb 7:25* Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them.So, recognize that my fears are not something that happens to me.Recognize that I am the culprit that initiates and possesses an active phobic, fearful, anxious response to events, things, and circumstances in my world. It is I who create and nurture a feeding ground for an idolatrous soul to feed. I become the center of the world and these fearful responses to which I yield provide an intense self-absorption that nourishes an idolatrous heart.But, as I fear God and draw close to Him, my idolatrous heart loses its power and allure. I am able and willing to set aside the sin that so easily snares my soul as I fix my eyes on Jesus and I will begin to live and thrive in freedom from the tyranny of an idolatrous heart.1Co 15:57* But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.2 Cor 2 14-15* But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere. For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing…
Questions to ask about Questionable Matters
Sometimes in Life our thinking can get a little “fuzzy”… one might begin to wonder if the decisions one is making are right or wrong, especially in areas where Christians disagree – “Those gray area”.Consider these questions as those one may ask to find one’s way out of “fuzzy” thinking.QUESTIONS TO ASK ABOUT QUESTIONABLE MATTERSHeb 3:13* But encourage one another day after day, as long as it is still called “Today,” lest any one of you be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.
- IS IT FOR THE LORD? Does it bring praise to Him?
“So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God” (1 Cor 10.31) (Rom 14.6-8)
- CAN I DO IT IN HIS NAME (on His authority, implicating Him)? Can I thank Him for it?
“And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him” (Col 3.17)
- CAN I TAKE JESUS WITH ME? Would Jesus do this?
“Whither shall I go from thy Spirit? Or whither shall I flee from thy presence?” (PS 139.7)“And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him” (Col 3.17)“Christ lives in me” (Gal 2.20“Christ…leaving us an example that ye should follow his steps” (1 Pet 2.21)(Matt 28.19-20; JN 14.16-17; 23)
- DOES IT BELONG IN THE HOME OF THE HOLY SPIRIT?
“Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, which you have from God? You are not your own; you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body” (1 Cor 6.19-20)(Eph 4.30)
- IS IT OF FAITH? Do I have misgivings? Must I have to justify, rationalize, or seek what is “right” with it?
“But he who has doubts is condemned, if he eats, because he does not ant from faith; for whatever does not proceed from faith is sin” (Rom 14.23). Beloved, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God” (1 Jn 3.21)
- DOES IT POSITIVELY BENEFIT, BUILD UP (not simply, “Is it harmless?”)?
“Let us then pursue what makes for peace and for mutual upbuilding” (Rom 14.19) “Let all things be done for edification” (1 Cor 14.26) (Rom 15.2; 1 Cor 15.2; Eph 4.12-16)
- DOES IT SPRING FROM, OR LEAD TO, LOVE OF THIS WORLD AND ITS VALUE SYSTEM?
“Do not love the world or the things in the world. If any one loves the world, love for the Father is not in him” (1 Jn 2.15). (Mk 9.47; 11.14-15)
- DOES IT INVOLVE UNION WITH AN UNBELIEVER?
“Do not be mismated with unbelievers. For what partnership have righteousness and iniquity? Or what fellowship has light with darkness?” (2 Cor 6.14)
- “DOES IT COME FROM OR HAVE THE POTENTIAL OF LEADING TO BONDAGE?”
“All things are lawful, but not all things are helpful. All things are lawful, but not all things build up” (1 Cor 10.23)
- IS THE MOTIVE PRIDE OR LOVE?
“We know that all of us possess knowledge. Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up. If any one imagines that he knows something, he does not yet know as he ought to know” (1 Cor 8.1-2)
- IS A GODLY MIND-SET THE CONTEXT OF MY DECISION ON THE MATTER?
“Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious; if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things” (Phil 4.8). (Rom 12.1-2)
- WHAT DOES THE CHURCH SAY ABOUT IT?
“He who thus serves Christ is acceptable to God and approved of men” (Rom 14.18)“For it has seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us to lay upon you no greater burden than these necessary things” (Acts 15.28). (Rom 14.16)
- WOULD I BE SHAMED DOING THIS WHEN JESUS COMES?
“And, now, little children, abide in him, so that when he appears we may have confidence and not shrink away from him in shame at his coming…We know that when he appears we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. And every one who thus hopes in Him purifies himself as he is pure” (1 Jn 2.28; 3.2-3). (Matt 24.44-51; Lk 23.34-35; 1 Thess 5.2-4) ALSO, TAKE THE THREE “C’s” TEST
- THE CONTENT TEST
Does it make us Adulterous Friends of the World???1 Jn 2.15-17: Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world. The world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God lives forever.Going to the world is the way we meet legitimate needs and desires in Forbidden Ways.Eph 4. 19-20f - So this I say, and affirm together with the Lord, that you walk no longer just as the Gentiles also walk, in the futility of their mind, being darkened in their understanding, excluded from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the hardness of their heart; and they, having become callous, have given themselves over to sensuality for the practice of every kind of impurity with greediness. But you did not learn Christ in this way….
- The CONTROL TEST
Sometimes we don’t know whether or not something is controlling us until we try to stop it. Put it aside for 30 days and test and see how difficult it is to be without.1 Cor 6.12: All things are lawful for me, but not all things are profitable. All things are lawful for me, but I will not be mastered by anything.
- THE CLOCK TEST
Redeem the time. Is it a good investment of time? If only I could have back all the time that I wasted in order to read the Bible.Eph 5.15-16: Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise, making the most of your time, because the days are evil.