On the Way to Sunday ... Golfing with Jesus

Back in the day, I played competitive golf.  And although we competed as individuals, we also competed as a team.   

We had five golfers on our team, but only 4 scores counted in tournament.  In tournament play the highest score was not counted and was officially listed as an X.  During the course of tournaments or matches we would communicate with another across the course with a series of hand signals as it related to how we were doing.  Remember this is BC (before cell phones).  If you put 2 fingers up that would mean that I was either winning by 2 strokes or that I was 2 over par.  This allowed us to have some idea of how the contest was going.

The thing you did not ever want to see during a tournament was your teammate giving you a signal of crossed arms – X.   

This was a message that meant my score is not to be counted. In other words, I am playing bad. This gesture was a means of claiming the 'X' for the match. You did not want to be an X.

By contrast the person with the lowest score in the match was named the medalist.  It was always good to be the medalist! 

Then Jesus said: What comes from your heart is what makes you unclean. Out of your heart come evil thoughts, vulgar deeds, stealing, murder, unfaithfulness in marriage, greed, meanness, deceit, indecency, envy, insults, pride, and foolishness. All of these come from your heart, and they are what make you unfit to worship God. Mark 7:20-23 CEV

In life, we are measured by the heart. We can fake a lot of things on the outside, but God knows the score of your heart. Your heart will be revealed.

What's your score? What signals are you throwing out today?

Don't be the X !

         

Guns and Theology on Thursday Night

Everything is permitted, but everything isn’t beneficial.

Everything is permitted, but everything doesn’t build others up. 

1 Corinthians 10:23

Guns and gun control are in the headlines and have once again become part of our public dialogue.  Last week our Men's group from church visited our local gun shop last Thursday night. The owner walked us through the process for purchasing a gun in Indiana.  He taught us about the different types of guns. We handled hunting rifles and assault rifles.  We talked about gun control issues and gun safety issues.  Those in attendance varied in age from 20something to 80+.  Some in attendance owned guns, some did not.  What we all learned quickly is that we didn't know much about guns or the law.

In all likelihood, we carried on what may have been the most civil conversation about gun control, gun ownership, and gun safety in all the land that day!  I was proud of our group.

We discovered that too many people want an easy solution.  They want to solve the problem with a rally and a slogan.  Both sides have taken up extreme positions with respect to discussing the 2nd Amendment (the Right to Bear Arms).  Both sides are governed by fear.  Both sides operate by using disinformation and propaganda. We left more informed and as result we left less fearful.

 

Democracy is about freedom, but it is also about freedom with restrictions.  If it were not, then our freedom would quickly become anarchy! History reveals that legislation will not dictate morality or moral behavior.  But that is not permission to stop making laws of prohibition or limitation.  We need calm and rationale conversation about the laws we enact - something that will not happen in the halls of DC or the studios of TV networks.  The voices of the folks in the towns and cities need to be heard.  I invite you to join the conversation. 

 

For a more detailed look at some of the issues from a theological perspective check out this or this.  The issue is complex.  There are no easy answers, but a rationale conversation is welcome.  Come to Hagerstown.  We can show what that looks like and like us you just might learn something.

Marking the Trail: Finding the Marks

The Parable of the Soils Mark 4:12-20

In the course of my life I have heard countless sermons on this parable.  The sermons have generally focused on the various responses to the gospel that are made by the people (the soil) who hear it. The sermons also provided examples of the types of people and their responses.  Each message then concluded with a plea to be sure that you were not one of those hearers described in the first three soils.  But for me, taking the four soil types personally, doesn’t yet answer the question that the disciples asked, “what does the parable mean?”

The parable may very well reveal to us the different type of responses to the hearing of the Gospel, but is that the main point? What is Jesus getting at primarily?  Why did the disciples not understand the meaning if it is that simple?  Is there something we have missed?  What is it about the Kingdom of God Jesus was trying to tell us?

Take yourself back to the day when Jesus first taught this parable sitting in that boat just off the shore.  Jesus said at the beginning of His ministry that the kingdom of God was at hand.  But, Christ wasn’t crowned as king, He didn’t gather an army, He didn’t go and defeat all of Israel’s enemies.  

And just as worrisome is that if the coming of the kingdom of God was indeed good news then why was it not embraced by everyone? Why did the Jewish leadership not welcome Jesus?  Why all the opposition?  Why did some feel that Jesus was demonic.  After all, the time of the arrival of the Messiah was to be a time of rejoicing and welcome and not a time of division and arguing.

Granted, there were some who marveled at the authority of His teaching and wept with joy over His miraculous healings, but it wasn’t obvious to all people that this man from Nazareth was the Son of God.  If Jesus was the Messiah, why did people respond to Him so differently?  Mark tells stories of the various responses of indifference, curiosity, hostility, and yes acceptance by some people. 

That is the mystery.  The kingdom of God turns out to be nothing like people expected and for Jesus’ disciples and subsequent followers that continues to be the mystery.  Certainly very few people were expecting that when the Son of God came into the world He would be rejected by His own people and executed.

This parable confused the disciples for the very same reason that the coming of the Kingdom of God in Jesus confused them and us today.  It described a situation utterly unlike what they were expecting. The message that Jesus preached about the kingdom of God, the good news, turned out to be a message that some found uncomfortable, or threatening, or offensive and, for that reason, opposed it.  While others simply failed to see the point at all.  Even those who accepted the good news, Jesus’ disciples, were in need of education, as their expectations needed readjusted and their understanding of God and faith rebuilt.  Very little has changed from those days.  

What is the problem with the Christian gospel?  We are promising people eternal life and everlasting joy.  What is not to like about that?  In Hollywood you can hang out a shingle, charge people ridiculous amounts of money to tell them things that they like to hear, and make a fortune.  Isn’t this a message people want to hear?  Christians are proclaiming a desired message and we are offering it for free.  What is not to like? 

Truth is many people don’t like it and others remain wholly indifferent and uninterested by it. The seed is picked up before it ever takes root, or people seem to embrace the message only to abandon it shortly thereafter.  Others embrace the message, or say they do, but subsequently live utterly unimpressive lives, indistinguishable from those who rejected the message.  Who would have thought this would be the result of God coming into the world as a man and offering forgiveness of sins and eternal life to all people? 

This is the mystery and it is only because you and I are so used to it that we are not constantly wondering how could God come into this world and seem to make so little difference?  

How could God come among us and we not notice that He was there? How could God come into the world and we hate Him such that we put Him to death?  This was not supposed to happen!  This was not to be the story of the Kingdom of God. Nobody thought that when the kingdom of God came that it would travel the way of a seed tossed by a farmer.  IT was to come by the way of design in the hand of a Heavenly Host.  People were expecting sudden and glorious change and instead they got a farmer going out to sow seed.  And the mysterious, secret nature, of the kingdom of God is no less obvious today.  

The responses to the kingdom are made by people today just as Jesus described in the parable at that time.  Think about it.  Some Christians are powerful recommendations of the gospel.  Others much less so.  It has been said that Christians are at the same time the best and the worst recommendations for faith in Jesus Christ.  

Have we not all been amazed more than a few times in our lives that the church, and it’s people, are not better, more faithful, more appealing than it is to those people outside the church?  

Why in the world is the kingdom of God like this?  And why have we yet to figure it out?

The gospel today still suffers primarily from its failure to meet the expectations of the people who hear it.   Why don’t people believe this wonderful message?  For precisely the same reasons they did not believe it when Jesus preached it Himself and authenticated it with His miracles.  He didn’t meet their expectations.  He didn’t say what they expected Him to say and do what they expected Him to do. Oh, they loved the healings, but they wanted more than that.  They wanted a king who would lead them in triumph over their enemies, not a king who would die for their sins.  They wanted prosperity; He offered them a wealth of forgiveness for their sins.

It is easy to not believe the gospel and it is easy to not believe in Jesus Christ. Multitudes do not believe. They are offended by its requirement that they acknowledge their guilt before God and that they forsake their self-sufficiency.  They are still unwilling to surrender the lordship of their lives to Christ Jesus. Their hearts are unfit to receive the gospel because they remain so full of pride.  They comfort themselves with the fact that there are multitudes of others who do not believe either.  

What is more, they don’t see the promised harvest.  They aren’t impressed with Christians.  They don’t think we prove the Gospel true.  But that is proof of nothing. God has not yet revealed to them the secret of the kingdom of God.  Until he does all remains a mystery to them.  But for us, all is precisely unfolding as our Savior said it would and the harvest time gets ever closer.

Now some application of this understanding for us in the story: First, notice the word “hear” is repeated often in these verses.  The first three groups hear the word only in a superficial way.  The last group not only hears, but accepts, and bases their life upon the word that was sown. The Lord gives us an interpretation of the parable, but He doesn’t reveal all that is implied in the interpretation. That is left for us to do: “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.” 

We do not need to judge the soil. The soil is what it is. Perhaps the rocky soil could have some rocks removed and that would make it more fertile. Perhaps some weeds can be pulled from the other soil to help growth.  That is work for the farmer, but the primary work is to scatter seed and the harvest is not going to come by planting seeds in just the best soil. The place where the seed needs to be scattered is outside of the church walls – into all of the types of soil – and then the harvest will come.

Finally, we must remember that we face the same temptations, the same worries, the same fears, the same opposition, the same discouragements, the same questions as believers always have.  We face the same obstacles within and without that have withered and destroyed the commitment of those who for a time we took to be Christians.  

But you of faith should keep on!  Do not throw away your confidence of faith for it will be rewarded.  Do not become weary in doing good; for at the proper time you will reap a harvest - if you persevere. The good soil always produces a harvest! So, test yourself by the parable.  Find yourself in the four soils of the story.  Discover the mark of a disciple. Did you miss the mark of a disciple?   Hearing, receiving, and bearing fruit are the Marks of a disciple. 

Have you the mark?  In the words of Christ, "Are you listening to this? Really listening?"

On the way to Sunday: The marks of a disciple

A lot of people talk about being followers of Christ—about being disciples. So, what does a disciple look like? What are the marks of a disciple?

Lorne Sanny, former president of The Navigators, talked about three characteristics of those who are true followers of Christ. He called them the marks of a disciple. Here is a summary of his thoughts:

Identified with Christ

The first mark of a disciple is that they are someone who is identified with the person of Jesus Christ—someone who will openly admit that he belongs to Christ. On one occasion Jesus asked the disciples, “Who do you say that I am?” Peter answered, “You are the Christ” (Mark 8:29).  A disciple takes the opportunity to be identified with Jesus Christ.

Obedient to the Word 

A disciple is not only a believer who is identified with the person of Christ, they are also obedient to the Word of Christ— the Bible. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations . . . teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you (Matthew 28:19,20). A disciple does more than attend church. He does more than go to Sunday School or a small group. They find out what the Bible says and do it.

Fruitful for Christ

So a disciple is one who is openly identified with the person of Christ. Second, obedient to the Word of Christ. And third, they bear fruit in the work of Christ. This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples (John 15:8). Now it seems to me that there are two kinds of fruit here. First is the fruit of character, the fruit of the Spirit—love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22,23). And second, there’s fruit by way of influencing the lives of others for Christ.

So, are you a disciple? Do you bear the marks?

Are you willing to be openly identified with the person of Jesus Christ? 

Are you seeking to be obedient to the Word of Christ in your everyday life? 

Are you bearing fruit in the work of Christ—by way of Christlike character and influencing the lives of others?

See you Sunday ...

Served by Esther at the Garden Tomb

At this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there,

but she did not realize that it was Jesus. John 20:14

The things you miss when you aren't really looking ...

When I took the picture above at the Garden Tomb, I never saw the man exiting the tomb. I was too busy to notice that anyone else was around.  I was trying to take it all in.  I can better relate to Mary not 'seeing' Jesus as John recounts in his Gospel. 

While going through all the piles of pictures, brochures, notes, and receipts from our recent trip to Israel, I actually looked at my receipt from the Garden Tomb:

Did you miss it like I did?

I purchased a card with a beautiful watercolor painting of the Garden Tomb, a desktop model of the Garden Tomb made from Olive Wood (it sits in my office - stop and see it), and a book on the feasts of the Jewish Calendar (a sermon series is in this book I am confident).  

I had a conversation with the young lady that helped me.  We chatted and even shared a laugh. I paid for my things, took my receipt and the few shekels I received in change and crammed them into my pocket.  With merchandise in hand I hurried back into the garden for our communion service.

I missed it. 

I never paid attention.  I was too busy shopping, talking, hurrying to the next.  I never saw the name of the person who helped me.

I was served by Esther !


The Book of Esther is a compelling story - take time to read it.  Veggie Tales even made a wonderful cartoon based on it. The book of Esther was written to the Jewish people to record the origins of the Feast of Lots, or Purim. This annual festival commemorates God's salvation of the Jewish people, similar to their deliverance from slavery in Egypt (the book I bought is already paying off). In the story of Esther, we see God's interaction with man's will, his hatred of racial prejudice, his power to give wisdom and help in times of danger.

Remember my conversation with the clerk?  Amazingly it was about prejudice.  I was apologizing to her for the prejudicial remarks made by the unknown American that was in line before me.  I missed the connection ... until today.

One last thing: One of the interesting things about the story of Esther is that God is never mentioned in the story and yet it isn't hard to 'see' the sovereignty of God at work throughout the story.

So, even though I missed it the first time ... God was still there.

I was served by Esther.

Who will you serve today?

And don't be surprised if those you serve - miss it.

Just know ... God is still in control.

Marking the Trail to Easter (part 1)

Prepare the way for the Lord make straight paths for Him Mark 1:3b NIV 

Lent is a period of time that allows us to mark out our trail. We know where we are headed – Easter, the Last Supper, Good Friday, and then an empty tomb. We know how this story ends. But we intentionally set aside this time each year to once again prepare ourselves – For although we know the path, it has been a year since we journeyed on it and it may need to be marked again (or marked more clearly!) so we can find our way. 

The prophet Isaiah (40:3–5) first wrote about this: 

 A voice is crying out:”Clear the Lord’s way in the desert! Make a level highway in the wilderness for our God! Every valley will be raised up, and every mountain and hill will be flattened. Uneven ground will become level, and rough terrain a valley plain. The Lord’s glory will appear, and all humanity will see it together; the Lord’s mouth has commanded it.” 

The people clearly would have anticipated the idea of an easier path than the ones they were left to travel – Mountains, hills, uneven ground, rough terrain … having just recently walked this land – Oh how we longed for level and even ground to walk! 

In Mark’s gospel, we are clearly told that John was sent to 'prepare the way' for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ (Mark 1:2-3), but what exactly did John the Baptist do in preparing the way?

Luke tells us (3:3-4a) that John went throughout the region of the Jordan River, calling for people to be baptized to show that they were changing their hearts and lives and wanted God to forgive their sins. This is just as it was written in the scroll of the words of Isaiah the prophet. Also in Matthew (3:1-3) we learn that in those days John the Baptist appeared in the desert of Judea announcing, “Change your hearts and lives! Here comes the kingdom of heaven!” He was the one of whom Isaiah the prophet spoke. 

The people in that day responded to John’s message and helped prepare the way for Jesus. They confessed their sins and were baptized as a sign that they had turned from their sins. Matthew 3:6 tells us, "And [they] were baptized in Jordan, confessing their sins."

Prepare the way for the Lord make straight paths for Him

But how did these actions 'prepare the way'? Preparing a way can mean to “create a favorable environment or to make it easy for one to come to you and operate in your life.”John the Baptist was creating a favorable environment by making it easy for Jesus to enter into and operate in the lives of the people. He preached the repentance of sins and baptized people for the remissions of their sins. He was getting people ready for Jesus' arrival by getting them to turn from their sins and repent!

How does this apply to us today?

I believe God gave me a beautiful revelation about how we can 'prepare the way' for the Lord in our own lives while we were in the Holy Lands: The Romans were the first people to build highways. They would make highways to the places that they wanted to conquer and to create trade routes. One of these routes Jesus would have walked from Caesarea through Nazareth to the area of Galilee. We walked in this area – The Valley of the Winds - that was ‘the way’ for trade, supplies – all the sustenance of life. Part of the Gospel Trail being marked out for others to walk or hike …Perhaps this was the place where Jesus first said, “I am the way.” 

But this place is not like the paths and roads we know. This was no Cardinal Greenway. This was no hiking trail in a park. This was a rocky place that wound through a carved out valley. This path was still hard to travel, but was better than traveling over the rocky hills and mountains. Making a way … Marking a trail was no easy endeavor, but the rewards were great. Many of the paths cleared of stone are still used today. Many areas are still hard to access because the path is winding and/or covered with rocks and stones.

Prepare the way for the Lord make straight paths for Him 

What can we do?

A common practice of Lent has been fasting or more commonly the action of giving something up. The list of those that practiced fasting is a veritable who’s who of faith: Moses, David, Elijah, Esther, Daniel, Jesus, Paul, Martin Luther, John Calvin, John Wesley, and the list could continue on and on.

There are over 60 references to fasting in the Bible. Jesus teaches in Matthew 6:16 about fasting using the words “When you fast.” It is interesting that he does not choose to say “you must fast” or “if you fast.” Fasting is not a commandment but rather an act of devotion and purpose. When we talk of Christian devotion, or discipline, we often speak of financial giving, and prayer, and bible study, and even service or work, but rarely do we speak of fasting. We have lost the discipline of fasting.

Jesus commented on fasting (MATTHEW 6:16-18) be teaching us to fast in secret. God is the only one that needs to know.

The rewards for fasting (or giving something up) are a promise from God:

• Helps us to focus our attention on God
• Reminds us that we are sustained by God and not food alone
• Keeps our lives balanced
• Reveals that which controls us
• Increases our concentration
• Can lead to revelations in our lives
• Can provide guidance for our lives

A fast is not about just giving up food – you can fast from anything …. ; You each no doubt have your lists … but are they the things that keep you from God?

Fasting is about gaining fellowship with God. Fasting is not to focus attention on you, but rather it should focus your attention elsewhere.The call is issued once again:

Prepare the way for the Lord make straight paths for Him. 

As you remove the “things” that are in the way, you should be able to get closer to God. When you crave the chocolate I gave up, you are to be reminded that you need to crave God. When you set aside all the electronics (texting, facebook, ipads, computers, cell phones) you are 'forced' to interact with people personally. What needs to be cleared from your path to make the way clear for God? Jesus warned Peter about the dangers of the unclear path when he said, You are a stone that could make me stumble, for you are not thinking God’s thoughts but human thoughts (Math 16:23 CEB).

What thoughts or things are in the way to more clearly connecting you with God?

The call is issued again, Prepare the way for the Lord make straight paths for Him.


Perhaps your path to God has become cluttered, as you prepare to celebrate Easter, perhaps something needs to be cleared from your path. What is keeping you from your relationship with God?

Through the repentance of our sins, we 'prepare the way' for Jesus to operate in our lives! The Bible teaches us that if we confess our sins, we not only will receive forgiveness for them, but they are removed as far from the east to the west (1 John 1:9 ; Psalms 103:12)!  If we fail to acknowledge our sins, however, Proverbs 28:13 tells us those who hide their sins won’t succeed, but those who confess and give them up will receive mercy. But I must warn you that simply acknowledging our sins is not enough.John the Baptist rebuked the Pharisees for not living up to their confessions in Matthew:

But when he saw many Pharisees and Sadducees coming to be baptized, he denounced them. 'You brood of snakes!' he exclaimed. 'Who warned you to flee God's coming judgment? Prove by the way you live that you have really turned from your sins and turned to God’ (Matthew: 3:7-8 NLT).

What needs to be cleared from your path? Can you identify the things that have cluttered your path? What will you do about it?  As we begin our walk along the path to Easter, a voice is heard: 

Prepare the way for the Lord and make) straight paths for Him.

Photo Above [Walking the path today in the Valley of the Winds]