Joyfully Proclaiming

At a recent Sunday service, the pastor used as his text, the story in Luke of the Gerasene Demoniac.  If you recall, just prior to crossing the Sea of Galilee, and arriving on the shores of the Gerasene region, Jesus had told his disciples, “…“Let’s cross to the other side of the lake.” Luke 8: 22.  Hold on to that snippet of a verse, I’ll come back to it.

During the crossing, a fierce storm blew in, and Jesus, who was napping, had to be awakened.  It was pretty obvious that some force wanted to keep Jesus from arriving at his destination. But, he got up, spoke to the storm, and it immediately calmed down, allowing them to continue safely. “ As Jesus was climbing out of the boat, a man who was possessed by demons came out to meet him. For a long time he had been homeless and naked, living in a cemetery outside the town.” Luke 8:27.  From all accounts, this guy had been off his meds for quite some time.  Chains couldn’t hold him, people were terrified of him, and he did bodily harm to himself.  In other words, he didn’t do much for the property values in the area.  This man, was completely under the control of not one, but many demons.  Interestingly, the demons knew who Jesus was right away, and begged him to leave them alone.  Of course, that was not God’s plan for this poor, captive fellow, so the demons asked to be sent into a huge herd of pigs.

 Long story short, into the swine they went, and ran of a steep hill, drowning in the lake below. The herdsman ran into town spreading the word of what had just happened.  Instead of being amazed at the miraculous change in the man, who was now fully clothed and in his right mind, they told Jesus to get outta Dodge, fast.  The man himself begged to follow Jesus, but Jesus sent him home, saying, “No, go back to your family, and tell them everything God has done for you.” So he went all through the town proclaiming the great things Jesus had done for him.” Luke 8:38-39.  Nothing more is written of how the ex-Demoniac’s testimony effected the townspeople, but he was changed and spiritually on-fire,  telling everyone about his salvation story. This is the same command that Jesus gives to all of us, to tell our story of how his love has set us free from the shackles of sin.  No one is going to be won over by reciting dusty doctrine and spouting religious rules, instead people want to see how Jesus has made a difference in your life.

 Do you have a story?  If not, have you truly come into relationship with Jesus?  Your story is “His”tory.  Pull out that small verse I told you to remember.  “…“Let’s cross to the other side of the lake.” It seems that Jesus went to all that work, just to free one sin-possessed individual, because they left the area right afterwards.  Keep in mind, that you, and your personal salvation is so important, that Jesus would have gone to the cross for you alone. So, get out there and joyfully proclaim the great things God has done, and is doing for you!!  

Holy Spirit Speak

“…do not be anxious how you are to speak or what you are to say, for what you are to say will be given to you in that hour. For it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.” Matthew 10:19-20.  When Jesus spoke these words, to his disciples, he was preparing them for the inevitable issues that they would face on the missionary trail. In this case, how they would verbally respond after an arrest. Scripture tells us that they did, indeed, face arrest and imprisonment, and these words of encouragement were to serve them well.

While I’ve never been arrested for talking about my faith in Christ, I have, on numerous occasions, called on the power of the Holy Spirit to direct my words.  One incident, in particular, comes to my mind so vividly.  Several years ago, I underwent surgery to remove my over active thyroid gland.  During that same week, one of my dearest friends and prayer partners, Mary, succumbed to leukemia.  Her struggle with the disease, and subsequent testimony, will be material for another blog, but today I want to focus on her wake service.  Before my surgery, I had gone to see and pray with Mary.  When I asked what she wanted me to pray for she answered, “A peaceful death.” Her husband, who was sitting by me, teared up, and my human spirit rebuked her request.  “No God, I can’t pray for that!”, I screamed inwardly.  So I did my best to offer up encouragement, and skirt around her final prayer need. Two days after I returned home from the hospital, Mary died, peacefully.

 For many years Mary had been in the  Bible study group that I led, but it still came as a surprise when her children came to me and said that Mary had requested that I speak at her wake service. I was honored and humbled, of course.  Mary’s oldest son, and her niece were to be the only other  speakers. Right away my humanness kicked in.  What would I say?  The day of the wake, I physically crashed, and the doctor told me I had to stay home…no public speaking!  I’ll talk more about that in a future blog, too, but suffice it to say, with God’s motivation, I pulled myself together, knotted a bright scarf around my  Frankenstein-ish neck, and headed to church.  I was chilled, and nervously clammy, as I awaited my turn at the pulpit. The other two eulogizers seemed so calm, as the beautiful descriptions of Mary rolled effortlessly off their tongues.

The priest looked my way indicating that it was my turn.  Somehow, my leaden feet made their way up the long marble aisle to find no pulpit for my Bible.  During the day, when I finally let God speak to me, he told me that he would give me the words if I would use Proverbs 31, "The Wife of Noble Character", as his springboard. As I turned to face the solemn, assembled congregation, I thought I might faint.  Every eye was focused on me, every ear waiting to hear what words I had prepared.  The truth is, I had a few notes, but nothing like the others before me.  “Oh Holy Spirit, I defer to you”, I prayed silently.  No sooner had I opened my mouth, than a flow of warmth and peace, starting at the top of my head began filling me with supernatural strength.  From that point on, the words were all uttered under the power of the Holy Spirit. Anyone who had seen me earlier that day would have been in awe, heck, I was in awe!  There was no way I could have spoken, let alone keep vertical, without him, and all the credit is due to him.  One man even told me he saw an aura envelope me as I spoke, how cool is that!!  Perhaps, you too will be called on to speak for your Father.  Don’t give into fear, believe Him, and me, he will uphold his promise in amazing fashion!! 

                                                        

Dear Mary, in the middle, on her 50th wedding anniversary.

The "Utilitarian" Church

During a casual lunch conversation, with a close friend, she mentioned that someone we both knew, had gotten married in the Utilitarian Church.  I had to laugh, as I corrected her, saying, “Oh you mean Unitarian.”  Immediately, God dropped this gem into my cranium.  The dictionary defines the utilitarian as: having regard to utility or usefulness rather than beauty, ornamentation, etc. Many, self-professed Christians, have indeed made the beautiful church, that he created, into something that is merely utilitarian. Sadly, we’ve all run across lots of folks, who “go to church” when there is a need to be met, ie.; pretty wedding pictures, baptism, funeral and perhaps Christmas and Easter, to model new outfits.  The remainder of the time, they stay clear of the building, the ministries and most distressingly, God.  While they occasionally partake in the ceremonies, including communion, their hearts, minds and beliefs are far away from God.  The church holds no more value to them than a microwave oven, and they joke about how they only attend when it suits their purpose. 

A big part of the problem, I think, comes from them confusing religion with relationship. Think about the things you’ve chosen in your life, including cars and microwaves, you usually research them, check prices and make a decision based on your findings, after all this will be a relationship of sorts.  Now consider how you came to be in the church you’re in.  Did you choose to become a Christian, after careful study, prayer, repentance and acceptance, or was religion passed along to you like a used winter coat? Obviously, the God that we personally choose to be in relationship with, rather than religion that is handed to us, will be the one we love, and have a growing passion for.  

Sure, God’s church exists to meet our needs, but not strictly in utilitarian fashion. Consider the earliest accounts of the church in Acts: “They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.” Acts 2:42-47.  Physical, material, emotional and spiritual needs were met, as they devoted themselves to the church with glad and sincere hearts.  Is this how you feel when you “go to church”?  Today, my prayer, for all of you who are currently attending the Utilitarian church, is that God reveal his true, beautiful, passion-filled  creation to you! 

Why be Hollow?

On a pleasant August evening, as I was surveying the maturing tomatoes, green peppers and basil, I spied this huge, perfectly formed pumpkin, ripening under the protection of prickly leaves.  I envisioned it adorning my front porch, or as part of an autumnal harvest display, in all its orange glory.  Just as quickly as I had found this beauty, my hopes were dashed. On closer inspection I noticed that insects, or pumpkin-flesh-eating vermin, had eaten their way through the bottom to the succulent innards, rendering it useless for a jack-o-lantern or pie. My Halloween plans had become a “Hollow”een let down. From the outside, the pumpkin looked healthy, but I knew it would soon collapse on itself as the invaders continued feasting on its interior support structure.

It’s interesting, that God should point this out to me, because I had just used the term, hollow, to describe a young man I know.  Those who see him on a daily basis may think he looks normal, but I could perceive spiritual intruders whose goal it is, is to see him cave in. Do you know anyone like that, or maybe it’s you.  A person who puts on a good face to the world, but is aching, longing for something, but not sure what that something is.  The constant ache soon breaks down the spiritual flesh giving easy entrance to all sorts of trespassers; drugs, alcohol, depression, anything that will temporarily fill the aching void.

 It is my belief, and I’m not alone in this area of thought, that God has created all of us with this hollow, empty space.  St. Augustine and Blaise Pascal both wrote about it. “There is a God-shaped vacuum in the heart of every person, and it can never be filled by any created thing.  It can only be filled by God, made known through Jesus Christ.” (Blaise Pascal).  Before we truly come into a personal, intimate relationship with our Redeemer, everyone tries to fill that void with all manner of stuff; some good, others destructive.  When this space is filled incorrectly, it can lead to spiritual, and in some cases, physical death. Even as we attempt to squash the proverbial square peg into a round hole, God continues to call us.

The poor pumpkin has no recourse, it will die, but we, when we earnestly listen and heed his call, the hole will be plugged,  the void filled and eternal life will be ours. Paul knew what it meant to have that void filled, and here is his prayer for all of us:  “I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit. Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong. And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God.” Ephesians 3:16-19. There’s no reason to be hollow, when God longs to fill us.


                                            

Occasional Sin in the Safe

Like many people, I have a small, fireproof box to keep car titles, passports and an heirloom ring, among other valuable items. I only access it when I need to.  It got me thinking about other things we keep in safe places.  I’d say most Christians are familiar with what habits, and forms of conduct, God considers sinful. So, knowing full well what is displeasing/sinful, why is it then that many folks keep a couple around in a safe place.  Let’s say you like to drink, I’m not talking about the infrequent social cocktail, but the kind that leads to drunkenness. I know numerous people who try to rationalize their behavior by saying that since they don’t do it every night, and go to church every week, God doesn’t mind. And for heaven’s sake, don’t be the fool who attempts to point out, scripturally, that they are walking on a slippery slope!  The hackles will go up, and you’ll find yourself being called a judgmental, Bible-thumper!

Does God encourage us to keep a little sin, for our personal enjoyment, as long as we do other good stuff?  Is it possible to keep a little adultery, anger, or sexual perversion?  Can you keep a bit of Ebola around and not get sick? Perhaps you’re married, but you have a lover you see only once a month or so, you don’t want a divorce, no one is being hurt, and you love your spouse, so how bad can that be?  Pretty bad, if you are the unsuspecting spouse. But that’s exactly what we do to God; we cheat on him, and think he doesn’t mind! “Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked.” Galatians 6:7.  I would have to question the relationship a person like that has with God.  Were they ever really, saved, or do they think church membership is their ticket to heaven?

While none of us is immune to the alluring siren call of sin, the power of the indwelling, grieving Holy Spirit should be sufficient to turn us away.  “And do not bring sorrow to God's Holy Spirit by the way you live.” Ephesians 4:30.  And please, don’t fall back on the old, “I didn’t realize it was sin”, or “this is the way I’ve always been, I can’t help it.”  Neither one will stand up in a court of law, let alone with our Father.  If you’re not sure what displeases God, check your Bible, but here’s a short list: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God.” Galatians 5:20-21.  I’d say that’s pretty darn clear! There is no “little sin” in God’s economy, anger is as detestable as murder.

 Do you have an occasional sin you keep in your safe? “Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to his cross and crucified them there.” Galatians 5:24. So what are you waiting for, open it up and start nailing!

What do you want me to do for you?

“Then they came to Jericho. As Jesus and his disciples, together with a large crowd, were leaving the city, a blind man, Bartimaeus (which means “son of Timaeus”), was sitting by the roadside begging. When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” Many rebuked him and told him to be quiet, but he shouted all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” Jesus stopped and said, “Call him.” So they called to the blind man, “Cheer up! On your feet! He’s calling you.” Throwing his cloak aside, he jumped to his feet and came to Jesus. “What do you want me to do for you?” Jesus asked him. The blind man said, “Rabbi, I want to see.” “Go,” said Jesus, “your faith has healed you.” Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus along the road. Mark 10:46-52.

 Most of us are familiar with this story of Blind Bartimaeus.  Here was a man, presumably blind since birth, who not only had to deal with the physical disability, but also the emotional/spiritual one.  Remember, that at that time, Jews believed that a physical impairment was due to the sins of the parents attaching themselves to their ancestors.  It was bad enough to maneuver in a darkened environment, but thinking that your parents, or your sin was responsible, would have been the biggest crippler. Add to that, being ostracized from society, and life must have been difficult indeed for Bart.  Day after day, he earned a meager living by begging alongside the dusty road.  As he sat there, with the other “sin-afflicted” folks, they must have shared gossip and current events, to pass the time.  Surely, the topic of the new rabbi, Jesus, must have come up more than once. Tales of miraculous healings being performed, on the blind, lame and even the dead, made life a bit more tolerable for these poor unfortunates.

On a day that began as any other, Jesus and his followers were passing by.  In his prayers and dreams, Bart had imagined himself fully-sighted, having been touched by the rabbi.  Up until then, it had only been a dream, but a dream that he held on to with all his might.  As the assembled throng grew restless with excitement, he heard the name Jesus being called out.  “Today is my day to see,”  he said as he jumped to his feet.  Even though there must have been a multitude of hurting people, Jesus heard the voice of Bartimaeus above the din.  Calling him to his side, Jesus asked, what might have seemed like a silly question,  “What do you want me to do for you?”  Bart could have said, “well duh, isn’t it obvious, I’m blind,” but he responded by telling Jesus his need.  Many might say it was his desperation, but tell me, what prayer isn’t rooted in desperation?  Jesus knew that vision was the  desire of the blind man’s heart, but he wanted him to verbalize it.  He was healed immediately, because of his persistent faith.

What is your need today?  A health condition; a wayward child or loved one; are you, like Bart, at the point of desperation? If so, that’s wonderful, Jesus is passing by your way, don’t sit silently, shout out and tell him, in faith, what you  want him to do for you. “You do not have, because you do not ask.” James 4:2.

                                             

Witness or Witness Protection?

 “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” Acts 1:8.  Just before Jesus ascended into Heaven, he gave the assembled apostles this promise, and the accompanied order, to be witnesses. To be precise, the words spoken by the apostles just before this statement, questioned Jesus on when he would restore his kingdom.  Their primary concern seems to have been the timetable for when Jesus would return to establish his earthly kingdom, and annihilate their enemies.  The idea of going out into a hostile environment, to witness, was not first and foremost in their minds.
 Let’s face it, before Pentecost,  they were a frightened, quaking bunch, seeking more to enter a “Witness  Protection” program, than be witnesses.   I can’t say I blame them, they not only saw the miraculous things Jesus did in his life, but they were there when he died that horrific death on the cross. We all know that changed when the promised comforter, the Holy Spirit, arrived and empowered them.

Being a witness doesn’t mean we pull out a soapbox,  on the courthouse lawn, and start spouting fire and brimstone. Unfortunately, that’s what a lot of Christians, and non-Christians believe.  The noun, witness, is:  “an individual who, being present, personally sees or perceives a thing; a beholder, or spectator.” While we may not have “seen” Jesus, in the same first-hand way that the apostles did, our relationship with him should be as close or closer.  Once we come into relationship with him, and begin growing in, and experiencing his Holy Spirit working through us, that should give us plenty to share with the world in the active verb form of witness! Most people are hesitant to witness because of ridicule, rejection,  coming up against difficult questions, or because they don’t feel it’s their job.

So what does it mean to be a witness, or to witness?  In the most basic sense it’s sharing our own salvation story with the world. People want to know how Christ has effected your life,

on a deeply personal level, not religious, impersonal, prepared doctrinal stuff….just tell your story! Where do you stand as a witness for Christ?  Do you have a story to tell? Are you joyfully spreading the word, or hiding out under a fake mustache in witness protection? Witnessing is not an obligation, or an option, it’s an order to all believers from our Savior. Sharing what you are passionate about is never a dreary forced duty, it’s a free-flowing and exciting account of who you love!