Round 2: A 911 call to Jesus

Thankfully, I have good news.

My wife’s hysterectomy went well. She is resting and recovering at home. God has certainly been answering the prayers lifted up for a successful surgery and good pain management. Now we wait for the pathology report to find out if the cancer had spread beyond her uterus.

We hope and pray for - what we define as - a good outcome: that the cancer was contained and that the surgery removed it all. However, as I am reminded by the post below, our plan for healing isn’t always the same as what God has in-store for us. So, we continue to trust. We continue to wait. We know that He hears our prayers…but we will leave the answer to those prayers up to Him.

A 911 call to Jesus
originally posted on July 5, 2018.

We’ve all been there.  At some point in our lives, the situation is so bad that we feel like we have no where else to turn.  Maybe it is a diagnosis, a car accident, or even a prolonged illness…but we’ve tried everything we know to do to cope, and the only thing left is to hope that God does a miracle.

That’s where we find the people in this story from Jesus’ life.  Two sisters and their brother, all loved by Jesus.  They have an established relationship with each other.  By all indications, Jesus has even stayed at their house, possibly several times.  But something bad has happened to their brother, and the sisters can’t do anything else about it:

John 11:1-3
Now a man was sick, Lazarus from Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha.  Mary was the one who anointed the Lord with perfume and wiped His feet with her hair, and it was her brother Lazarus who was sick.  So the sisters sent a message to Him: “Lord the one you love is sick.”

Let’s stop here and think about logistics for a moment.  How did they get in touch with Jesus?  According to the text at the end of chapter 10, Jesus wasn’t in Bethany.  Instead, he was a couple days’ journey away.  Martha and Mary couldn’t text or call to ask Him to come to Bethany or to even find out exactly where He was at the moment.  Someone had to physically make the long journey to go to the last place Jesus was known to be, and then go searching for Him from there. 

How time-consuming and risky!  They would have no guarantee of Jesus still being where He was before or that the messenger would end up asking the right person who knew where Jesus and His disciples had gone to next.  Going to this effort only underscores how sick Lazarus really was.  Mary and Martha must have believed that their brother would not live without some sort of divine intervention.

But also keep in mind that Jesus had performed long-distance healing miracles before.  Jesus healed the servant of a Roman centurion without even entering the house.  Jesus then publicly praised the centurion for his faith in Jesus’ authority.  You can read about it in Luke 7:1-10.  Surely, the sisters thought, if Jesus was willing to heal a complete stranger, who was the servant of a leader in a foreign army that was occupying Israel…then without a doubt Jesus would heal a fellow countryman that He knew and loved, right?

We don’t know how long it took, but the messenger did eventually find Jesus:

John 11:4-5
When Jesus heard it, he said, “This sickness will not end in death but is for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.”

Now Jesus loved Martha, her sister, and Lazarus.

The messenger and the disciples likely thought Jesus’ statement meant that Lazarus wouldn’t die.  I’m sure they all took some measure of comfort from thinking this.  However, as the story continues, we will see that Lazarus did die from his illness.  Jesus was still right, though – Lazarus’ sickness did not end in death, but death was part of God’s plan this time.

We need to stop here and wrestle with a few observations, even if they are uncomfortable:

·       Sometimes, God allows really bad things to happen to people, even ones He loves.
·       Just because God healed someone else doesn’t mean healing is coming in the same way for us.
·       God performing healing miracles is more about the glory of God than it is about our preference for comfort.

We trust that God hears us when we pray.  We trust that He loves us.  However, just because those two things are true does not mean that He will swoop in and respond in the way that we think He should fix everything. 

Keep Pressing,
Ken

Round 2: When disease hits too close to home

Sometimes, God has us learn lessons a second time. Often it’s because of our own hard-headedness or stupidity, but other times we need to learn a new application of the truths God is purposely inserting into our lives. They can be hard lessons to re-learn when we thought we got what we needed when He taught us before. But apparently…it’s time for my family to revisit how God walks with us when we get “that call”. As you’ll see below, I struggled mightily when my brother was diagnosed with MS. However, this time it’s closer…and harder…because it’s my wife.

On November 12th, just two weeks ago, my wife had a polyp removed from her uterus. On Monday, November 23rd, we got the call that it is cancer. By Wednesday, we met with the oncologist and his recommendation is a complete hysterectomy. We won’t know the stage - how far the cancer has progressed - until she is in surgery. By God’s grace, there was an opening in the surgeon’s schedule for December 1st. The doctor said that 85-90% of endometrial cancer patients do not need radiation or chemo, which is great news…but we’ll take this one step at a time.

The day after we got the call, my thoughts drifted back to this previous series of posts. I went back and read them all, finding some comfort in being reminded of the lessons that God already taught me. So my plan - at this point - is to have you walk back through these lessons with me. I’ll provide updates on Amy as I can in each weekly post.

There are many people in many places praying for my wife, for me, and for our two adult sons. We would be grateful if you choose to join the others in petitioning our Great God on our behalf…but if you do…while we love the idea of praying for comfort and minimal pain, there are other things to pray about that God may consider to be of greater importance at this time: that we grow in dependence on Him, that we grow closer together, that we learn to accept offers of assistance, that we navigate our experience with cancer in a way that points non-Christians to the God who walks along side us, that we trust the very God who could have prevented this cancer from happening is going to use this season for an ultimately bigger and more eternal impact…and these “greater importance items” on God’s agenda may not include comfort or minimal pain.

I don’t know what the future holds, but I don’t have to. God is big enough to handle the future while helping us cope with the present. We have much to be thankful for. Thank you for walking with me.

When disease hits too close to home
originally posted on June 28, 2018

I’ve been dealing with some annoying health stuff for the last 9 months or so.  Nothing life-threatening, but I’m working with Doctors, changing my diet, taking meds and supplements, evaluating potential causes, blah, blah, blah…you know the drill.  Even though it’s not something that will kill me, it is frustrating that my body isn’t working as well as it used to.  I’m not that old, really.  But when you pile this recent development on top of my near-sightedness, my semi-frequent migraines, and a slightly unstable right shoulder…I get the feeling that it’s not going to get any easier as the years continue to pile up.

When I look around at my family, it seems I’m not the only one.  There’s high blood pressure, rheumatoid arthritis, fibromyalgia, bi-polar struggles, and a long list of other maladies.  I’m sure you and your family could come up with a similar type of list. 

As we deal with these health issues now, it’s really easy to get frustrated.  I mean, God created everything…and could easily stop any of the health problems that we encounter.  So, why doesn’t He?

We can usually come to some sort of peace about this troubling question by reminding ourselves that we live in a fallen world, that Jesus will make everything right when He returns, and that we have perfectly good resurrection bodies to look forward to.  However, there are some situations when these answers fall short or feel hollow.  The one that really gets to me is my brother.  He has MS.  Wait…before going further, let me re-frame that for you:

My younger brother, who is in his mid-30s, has three kids under the age of 10, faithfully loves his wife, leads in a church that he helped plant, is active in his community, one of the hardest workers I know, a student of the Bible, works in end-of-life hospice care taking care of people who need help, loves Jesus and knows that he is loved by Jesus…he has Multiple Sclerosis.

MS is a failure of the immune system to function properly.  Instead of protecting his body, his immune system attacks him.  He has made adjustments to his life, but the MS has already taken ground – and it doesn’t give ground back.  He could be fine today and be in a wheelchair tomorrow, or he may be fine for many years…but all MS patients end up in the same place.  His body, in the end, will destroy itself.

I can quickly move from frustration to anger over this.  Serious, indignant, vision-blurred-by-tears anger.  God could show up and fix this, RIGHT?  So…what is He waiting for?  Why delay healing my brother?  Why wait for the resurrection?


Did you know…when Jesus was on Earth, He was asked these same questions?

The questions weren’t part of a parable or found in one of His teachings.  Jesus was asked, straight-up.  Real life was happening.  They loved Jesus and He loved them – but they were looking right at Jesus for answers as they dealt with the most unfair moment of their lives.

I need to know how Jesus answered their questions, and there are a few more things I am wondering:

What did Jesus say?
Did He show any emotion?
Did He seem to even care?

We’ll look for answers to these questions as we launch into this next study.  For now, I am clinging to something Paul wrote many years later:

2 Corinthians 4:16
Therefore we do not give up.  Even though our outer person is being destroyed, our inner person is being renewed day by day.

Our current bodies are falling apart, and it is hard to deal with.  The diseases we encounter in this fallen world are vicious, malicious, and ruthless.  It’s especially difficult to helplessly watch the people we love succumb to them.  But no matter how heavy these moments are, God helps us keep the proper perspective:

2 Corinthians 4:17
For our momentary light affliction is producing for us an absolutely incomparable eternal weight of glory.

Today’s crushing avalanche will be nothing more than a light mist in comparison to the eternal glory to be revealed in us. 

Even if we cannot see it right now, because our eyes are blurred by tears.

Keep Pressing,
Ken

Yeah, it's that easy

We like things to be easy, but we’re very leery of an easy solution to what we see as a difficult problem.  We don’t go to a doctor unless we can’t get well taking care of ourselves at home.  We hire professionals to do repair work because we don’t have the skill to fix it ourselves.  We expect the experts to solve our hard issues with complex solutions…but when they come back with simplistic answers, we become skeptical, even angry.

Naaman was the commander of the army for the king of Aram.  He was an accomplished warrior and leader, but he was plagued by a skin disease.  He had tried everything to cure it, but nothing had worked.  When he heard there was a prophet in Israel who could cure him, Naaman immediately sought him out.  When he finally arrived at the prophet’s house, Elisha wouldn’t see him.  Instead he sent out his messenger:

2 Kings 5:10-13
Then Elisha sent him a messenger, who said, “Go wash seven times in the Jordan and your skin will be restored and you will be clean.”

But Naaman got angry and left, saying, “I was telling myself: He will surely come out, stand and call on the name of the Lord his God, and wave his hand over the place and cure the skin disease.  Aren’t Abana and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel?  Couldn’t I wash in them and be clean?”  So he turned and left in a rage.

But his servants approached and said to him, “My father, if the prophet had told you to do some great thing, would you not have done it?  How much more should you do it when he only tells you, ‘Wash and be clean’?”

Naaman expected a big show from Elisha or to have the prophet give him some difficult task to prove his worthiness for healing, but he was given neither of those.  Instead, he was only told to wash off in the Jordan River.  This was too simplistic for Naaman’s expectations.  After all his struggles and attempts to fix it himself, surely there something more fantastic than dunking in the muddy Jordan river to fix his problem.  However, after his servants’ prompting, Naaman relented.  He went to the Jordan, washed seven times…and he was healed, just as the prophet had said.

The people of Jesus’ day also had the same problem with an unexpectedly easy solution.  As the crowds were starting to grow and follow Him around, Jesus challenged their motives in seeking Him out.  While doing so, He also confronted their preconceived ideas on how to obtain eternal life:

John 6:26-28
Jesus answered, “Truly I tell you, you are looking for Me, not because you saw the signs, but because you ate the loaves and were filled.  Don’t work for the food that perishes but for the food that lasts for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you, because God the Father has set His seal of approval on Him.”

“What can we do to perform the works of God?” they asked.

Notice their question – they were looking for works, plural, expecting that Jesus was about to give them a long list of behaviors with do’s and don’ts, if they were to earn eternal life.  The Jews were used to performing ceremonies and rituals, as well as following the Mosaic Law and the teachings of the Pharisees…so they were ready to hear commands for them to perform multiple difficult works, each to be checked off and help them earn eternal life from God.

Instead, Jesus answers them in the singular:

John 6:29
Jesus replied, “This is the work of God – that you believe in the one He has sent.”

I can totally see Jesus putting “air quotes” around the word “work”.  His answer is pretty much tongue-in-cheek, because we cannot earn eternal life by working – instead, we simply believe in Jesus for eternal life, and we will have it.  Notice too, what Jesus said about eternal life – “the Son of Man will give [it to] you.” 

But if eternal life truly is a gift from Jesus…then what did Jesus mean by telling them to “work” for it?

Jesus was warning them not to put in the effort to seek Him out for merely their next physical meal, but they should instead seek Him out for what He freely offers – eternal life to all who believe in Him.  Of course, they had trouble with how “easy” of an answer Jesus gave them, so He continued to teach them, still using the bread analogy:

John 6:35, 40
“I am the bread of life,” Jesus told them.  “No one who comes to Me will ever be hungry, and no one who believes in Me will ever be thirsty again…For this is the will of My Father: that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him will have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.”

Although the crowd struggled with His teaching, Jesus did not add any other pre-conditions (like confession, repentance, or vows of good behavior) or post-conditions (like continuance in good works, baptism, or church attendance) to His offer of eternal life.

Over and over, when Jesus is witnessing to others, the only condition for them to receive eternal life is to simply believe in Him.  This might sound strange to you, too.  You may have heard something different in church.  You may think that it’s too good to be true.  But don’t just take my word for it – read through the book of John, the only book in the New Testament written explicitly to unbelievers, and you’ll see a no-strings-attached offer repeated: Jesus gives eternal life to those who believe in Him.

Yeah, it’s that easy.

Have you accepted His free gift?  Do you believe in Jesus for eternal life, no strings attached?

Keep Pressing,
Ken

How to see the good

There’s a lot of negative vying for our attention.  Election ads have been in our face for months.  Constant worries about the rapid swings in the stock market, the jobless claims reports, and individual company earnings.  Closer to home, we’ve all seen small businesses in our communities decide to close permanently – perhaps you’re one of them that had to make that painful choice.  And then there’s a pandemic to deal with.  2020 just seems to bring one hit after another.  No one has been left unaffected.  Families are struggling, churches are struggling, communities are struggling…leaders, governments, and nations – struggle, struggle, and struggle.

I’d say it feels a little overwhelming at times, but that wouldn’t be an honest statement.  Truthfully, it feels INCREDIBLY overwhelming A LOT of the time.  There’s so much negative and so much muck to wade through…where’s God while we’re in the midst of all this?

My church recently reopened for in-person services (with COVID protocols in place), and I was able to teach in the large group meeting for the elementary-age kids.  I’ve been doing it for years, and it was so good to be back with them again.  And it was in their lesson that I found the answer to our problem question of Where’s God in all this mess?

The verse their lesson focused on was one that most of us Christians would be familiar with.  Prepare yourself to not be shocked by which verse I’m about to quote.  It’s not taken from some obscure Old Testament passage.  There’s no deep-dive into the Greek words needed to figure out what Paul was saying.  God made this one easy for us…so easy, a child can apply it:

Philippians 4:8
Finally brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is lovely, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable – if there is any moral excellence and if there is anything praiseworthy – dwell on these things.

Yep, that’s it.  Class dismissed.

Well, not quite.

I couldn’t just leave them with a simple thought of you know, you should just think about the good stuff even when bad stuff is happening…so after I talked about this verse, I gave them a very simple way to apply it:

I pointed out how every month, our elementary kids program focuses on a memory verse.  I explained to them that if they want to apply what Paul is saying in Philippians 4:8, then they need to learn their memory verse.  I told them how when I was their age, because of my mom, I memorized verses too.  And many of the verses I learned when I was their size are still burned into my brain.

If I need a verse that reminds me of how much God loves me, I have that (John 3:16-17).  If I need to be reminded that God’s path is best, then I know that, too (Proverbs 3:5-6).  When the Holy Spirit needs to kick me in the rear and remind me that I’m supposed to intentionally love others, He brings to mind 1 John 4:7-8.

However, memorizing Scripture isn’t just a kid’s activity.  I’ve continued it well into my adult life.  I’ve added verses like Genesis 1:1, Proverbs 22:29, and 2 Corinthians 5:10.  I’ve also learned to quote several verses together so I can grab hold of a complete God-thought on a subject – 2 Corinthians 4:16-18 and I’m currently working a chunk of verses found in Philippians 1:20-30.  Right now, I’ve made through verse 27 and will add 28 soon.  I’ve also memorized Titus.  Not just a verse or passage, but all of it. 

Before you put me on a pedestal of any level, hear me out.  Titus isn’t very long, just 46 verses.  At the time I was working on it, I was driving over an hour, one-way, to work each day.  My radio was lousy.  Satellite radio and streaming music wasn’t a thing back then.  So spending time during each drive memorizing Scripture broke up the monotony of driving the same roads for 3+ years.  It took many months to get the entire book down, but it was time well spent.  Over the years, God has honored that investment in more ways that I can recount in this post.

Again, I do not admit these things to build myself up or to look good in your eyes.  Instead, I want you to realize that Scripture memorization is both possible and beneficial…just like I was conveying to the elementary-age kids (for the record, I didn’t tell them about Titus, just the first 3 verses I listed above).

Having Scripture at the front of our brain and the tip of our tongue will help us keep perspective in a world that constantly feels like everything is upside-down and spinning sideways.  Having Scripture handy helps us dwell on the good things that God has all around us.  And lastly, having Scripture memorized fulfills what Paul wrote to another group of believers:

Romans 12:2
Do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may discern what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God.

Memorizing Scripture will renew your mind and transform your thinking…only then, with clear thoughts, can we discern what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God.

Yeah, it’s easier to memorize when you’re younger, but that’s no excuse not to start now.  Better yet, help a child memorize a verse and you’ll end up learning it, too.  Maybe you’ll be the one that inspires them to have God’s Word burned into their brain for the rest of their life.

Keep Pressing,
Ken  

We will get ours

Last time, we found that God has set a time and place to dispense justice among those who do not believe in Jesus for eternal life.  But what about us Christians?  Are we free to do whatever we want because we know we’re going to Heaven?  Are there any consequences for Christians who wrong others or do terrible things?

To find our answers, we’re actually going to step into the middle of a section in Scripture where the Apostle Paul is reprimanding the church in the city of Corinth.  These Corinthian believers were dividing themselves based upon which teacher they preferred to listen to – the lines were primarily drawn around the teachings of Paul, Peter, and Apollos.  As you can imagine, these divisions were causing significant stress among the congregation.  However, it is during Paul’s rebuke that we also find him talking about what happens to Christ-followers who waste their time or do harm to others.  As you read this, remember we’re dropping into the middle of Paul’s rebuke – but we’re looking for consequences that believers can experience:

1 Corinthians 3:5-11
What then is Apollos?  What is Paul?  They are servants through whom you believed, and each has the role the Lord has given.  I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth.  So then neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth.  Now he who plants and he who waters are united in purpose, and each will receive his own reward according to his own labor.  For we are God’s coworkers.  You are God’s field, God’s building.

According to God’s grace that was given to me, I have laid a foundation as a skilled master builder, and another builds on it.  But each one is to be careful how he builds on it.  For no one can lay any other foundation than what has been laid down.  That foundation is Jesus Christ.

Obviously, Paul is talking to the believers in Corinth.  Those who believe in Jesus for eternal life are the only group that has a foundation of Jesus Christ.  With this understanding, take a look at what Paul says next:

1 Corinthians 3:12-15
If anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay, or straw, each one’s work will become obvious.  For the day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire; the fire will test the quality of each one’s work. 

If anyone’s work that he has built survives, he will receive a reward.  If anyone’s work is burned up, he will experience loss, but he himself will be saved – but only as through fire.

Paul’s warning to the believers in Corinth is quite clear – now that your foundation is in Jesus Christ, be careful what you build and what you build with.  After we believe in Jesus for eternal life, we’re not done…it’s just the beginning.  While we will not come under judgment for our eternal destiny (like those at the Great White Throne judgment), everything we do in this life will be evaluated by Jesus.  Both the good – which receives a reward – and the bad – which will cause us to experience loss. 

In another letter to these same believers, Paul had this to say:

2 Corinthians 5:9-10
Therefore, whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to be pleasing to Him.  For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each may be repaid for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil.

Again, Paul stresses that both our good actions and our selfish, evil actions will be brought into account by the One who knows it all and can perfectly evaluate every situation.

There is a phrase that Paul uses that may seem odd to us, but ‘the judgment seat of Christ’ was a description the Corinthian believers would have understood immediately.  In his book, Final Destiny: The Future Reign of the Servant Kings, Joseph Dillow describes it this way:

Travelers to the archaeological excavations of the city of Corinth have seen the famous judgment seat in the town square…The judgment seat (Greek: bema) in Corinth was a large, richly decorated rostrum, centrally located in the marketplace.  It was the place where rewards were given out for victory at the Isthmian athletic games.  These rewards consisted of garlands, trophies, crowns, and special social benefits, such as exemption from income tax.  But punishments were also administered here as well.

One day, all Christians will have to give an account of their lives – how we spent our time, how we spent our talents, and how we spent our treasure.  Were we selfish or generous?  Did we commit crimes or acts of love?  Our actions, our faithfulness, our words, and our inmost thoughts will be on full display…and Jesus will justly evaluate us, His servants. 

Our eternal destiny is settled – Jesus has promised eternal life to those who believe in Him.  However, based upon our foundation in Jesus Christ, how we live now will directly impact our opportunities to serve and participate with Jesus in Eternity Future.

Knowing this, how will you approach today?

Keep Pressing,
Ken

It's been tough lately

One of the great things about Scripture is that it doesn’t whitewash anyone or gloss over any less-than-perfect situations.  Embarrassing and non-flattering moments are included alongside of impressive miracles.  This is one of the evidences of the Bible being supernaturally inspired: given the number of people who contributed to the Scriptures over the 1500 years it took to write, you would really expect that some author – at some point – would try to minimize their mistakes and/or failings. 

But that’s not what we see.  Instead, we find the heroes of the Bible don’t always act like perfect heroes.  We find them lying, cheating, and betraying each other.  We find them doubting God and His goodness.  Sometimes, we even find them saying really stupid things or just wanting to get away from it all.  Here is just a short list of examples (which would be easy to make into a long list):

·       Adam and Eve had the literal perfect life, and lost it because they thought God was holding out on them (Genesis 3).
·       Jacob leveraged his family members’ weakened conditions against them so he could get what he wanted (Genesis 26-27).
·       Jonah flat-out told God “No.” and ran away (Jonah 1).
·       David wasn’t where he was supposed to be, which led him to an affair with someone he wasn’t supposed to be with (2 Samuel 11). 
·       John Mark deserted his fellow missionaries in the middle of the mission trip.  He just up and left them hanging (Acts 13).
·       After the biggest single-day success of his career as God’s prophet, Elijah fell into loneliness and deep depression (1 Kings 18-19).
·       Noah got drunk and passed out, and his kids had to take care of him (Genesis 9).
·       On his watch, Aaron went along with a rebellion against his brother Moses and against God.  He even formed the golden calf “god” himself (Exodus 32).
·       Samuel, a great prophet of Israel, failed completely as a father.  While his sons were in the ministry, they were all corrupt and took bribes.  They used their religious positions for personal gain. (1 Samuel 8).
·       One day, Peter came to the conclusion that he needed a break.  He decided to leave for a while and go fishing (John 21).

Since the Bible doesn’t hide the flaws and failings of the people of God, I don’t think that we should work so hard to project a “perfect Christian” image.  It’s an easy trap to fall into, though.  We tell ourselves I don’t have the time to tell them the full story…or…they have their own issues and shouldn’t have to deal with ours, too…or…I’m embarrassed because I’ve been a Christian too long to be struggling with this thing…or…others would look down on us for getting stuck on this sin…or…<insert your own excuse here>

 When was the last time someone asked you, “How are you doing?”, and you gave an answer other than “I’m good.”?  But we have the insider information on ourselves, don’t we?  We’re fully aware of which parts aren’t “good” and where we’re struggling. 

So, in the interest of openness…I’ll admit that it’s been hard for me lately.  Of all the things you could imagine that I struggle with, your least-likely guess is my frustration…I’m having difficulty putting in the effort to study the Scriptures.  Ironic, right?  The guy who teaches the Bible is having difficulty with wanting to put in the effort to understand the Bible.  This isn’t a “because of COVID” thing either, it’s been a on-again-off-again struggle for a very long while. 

I don’t write this looking for your sympathy.  I’m not asking for a prayer vigil.  I admit this to you because I want you think about how you look at your pastors and teachers.  Just because we write/teach/preach God’s big ideas and partner with God to bring His truths to your attention…this doesn’t mean that we have everything else in our lives perfectly together or that we don’t also struggle in our walk with God.

Sometimes this living sacrifice (Romans 12:1) wants to crawl off the altar, check out of my responsibilities, and just coast for a while.  I get tired of daily taking up my cross (Luke 9:23) where “self” is to be crucified, and honestly, on somedays…I just don’t pick it up.  When talking about this blog, I have readily told people that I do not write because I am some super-spiritual, strong-Christian type…instead, I believe that God has me write this blog because I am too weak to not have this teaching responsibility.  Part of what keeps me in the Word is knowing I’m accountable to you all on a weekly basis – whether I feel like reading God’s Word or not.  If I wasn’t doing this ministry work, I’m not sure how much (or how little) time I would spend in the Scriptures.  And without God’s voice being intentionally and regularly added to my life, I am unable to withstand the constant barrage of the world’s messaging, distractions, and lies.  This teaching work God has given me is as much for me as it is for you.  While my struggle with studying Scripture is not an “always every day” struggle, it’s definitely there…don’t let a well-written, regularly-delivered email suggest to you otherwise.

So, let’s not hide our struggles from each other.  Let’s not pretend to be the perfect Christian; after all, those don’t exist.  Talk to your spouse about where you are in your walk with God.  Speak with a good friend.  Find a Christian counselor, if need be.  When you think about your pastor or Bible teacher, don’t assume that their walk with God is easier than yours or that they don’t have struggles.  Instead, let’s all take to heart the encouragement given by the author of Hebrews:

Hebrews 12:1-2
…let us lay aside every hindrance and the sin that so easily ensnares us.  Let us run with endurance the race that lies before us, keeping our eyes on Jesus, the source and perfecter of our faith.  For the joy that lay before Him, He endured the cross, despising the shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Persevering in whatever ministry God has given us will keep us on track for God’s will in our lives now and eternal rewards in the life to come.  Even when we struggle.  Even when we don’t feel like it.  Even when we admit to not having it all together.

Keep Pressing,
Ken

You are my proof

I heard the statement recently “The only thing God is building right now on this earth is His church.”  After pondering over this idea for a while, I believe the person saying it was right.  The speaker was driving home an important point: the only things continuing on from this life to the next will be the people who have believed in Jesus for eternal life.  Everything else will be made new (Revelation 21:5).  This doesn’t mean that everything else – careers, homes, sports, buildings, hobbies, etc. – are considered “evil” or “worthless”, because these events are what God uses to develop and grow us.

So this means that the only eternally lasting work we can do is to build up Jesus’ church.  We can accomplish this work through one of two ways: 1) helping unbelievers understand and accept Jesus’ free offer of eternal life, or 2) encourage and develop those who already believe.

There are many ways to accomplish either of those pursuits; however, we also have to recognize that our time on earth is limited…which means we want to make the most of our time, especially when it comes to investing in other believers. 

At times in his letters, Paul expressed concern that he had not invested properly, that those he had shared both the gospel and his life with were not good “proofs” that his time was well spent.  Other times he commended his former pupils on their development after he had invested in them.  Here are just a few examples:

To the believers in Philippi, Paul wrote to encourage their progress in their relationship with God and how well they imitated Jesus to those around them.  He described how their growth was a benefit to them individually and to the further spreading of the gospel…but also to Paul, himself:

Philippians 2:14-16
Do everything without grumbling and arguing, so that you may be blameless and pure, children of God who are faultless in a crooked and perverted generation, among whom you shine like stars in the world, by holding firm to the word of life.  Then I can boast in the day of Christ that I didn’t run or labor for nothing.

When Paul was correcting the believers in the region of Galatia for becoming confused by false teachers, he didn’t question their salvation, but he was concerned about their fruitfulness:

Galatians 4:11, 5:7
I am fearful for you, that perhaps my labor for you has been wasted…You were running well.  Who prevented you from being persuaded regarding the truth?

When checking up on the believers in Thessalonica, Paul spoke proudly of their progress in faith and love.  He joyfully told them:

1 Thessalonians 2:19-20
For who is our hope or joy or crown of boasting in the presence of our Lord Jesus at His coming?  Is it not you?  Indeed you are our glory and joy!

When I look at two of Jesus’ most famous parables, The parable of the talents (Matthew 25:14-30) and The parable of the minas (Luke 19:11-27), I find that Jesus is looking for a good return on His investment of gifts and abilities in each of us.  When we Christians do give an account to Jesus, what else can we give as evidence other than the lives we have ministered to, invested in, and enriched?  After all, Paul was writing to Christians when he said:

2 Corinthians 5:10
For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each may be repaid for what he has done in the body, whether good or bad.

Just like in The parable of the talents and The parable of the minas, the master will return and He will evaluate what we have done in His absence.  The judgment seat of Christ is only for believers; unbelievers will be judged at a different time.  As such, the judgement seat of Christ is not a place to determine our eternal destiny, instead it will be the time when Jesus determines our eternal rewards and opportunities to serve in His kingdom in the life to come.

I am proof that Joe Rheney did not run in vain.  I am not the only proof of his efforts, but I will be evidence – and I want to be good proof for a man who loved and invested so much in me.  I will also be proof for any Godly investment made by others at various times in my life – my parents, grandparents, teachers, friends.  Similarly, you are my proof that I did not waste my time blogging my Bible study.  It is my hope and prayer that you find good encouragement, a clear explanation of Scripture, and Godly challenges here.  What return on investment (ROI) is there for God if all I have learned and experienced with Him is kept solely for me?  Put simply: If I am not sharing who God has made me into and what God has taught me, then I am not fulfilling Jesus’ Great Commission. 

I know, this is a lot to take in all at once.  And not many churches emphasize this topic.  If this is new to you, or if you are suddenly feeling overwhelmed, here are a few application points to consider:

·       Paul invested in different people for different seasons of life.  Similarly, there will be different seasons when we invest, on God’s behalf, in others.  It’s also likely that we will not always invest in the same way or in the same physical location.
·       If you have children living at home – they are your primary ministry.  Not to say that you can’t or shouldn’t be investing in others, but your children must take priority over all others for this season.
·       The servants in both The parable of the talents and The parable of the minas were responsible for and received rewards based upon how much ROI they had from the master’s initial investment in them.  They were not judged in comparison with each other.  As such, we should not beat ourselves up if we are not “Paul the Apostle” or “Billy Graham”.  Instead, we should focus on being faithful with whatever skills, abilities, finances, and time God has given to us.

Truthfully, this topic can be summed up in just two questions:

Who are you proof for?
and
Who will be your proof that you did not waste God’s investment in you?

Keep Pressing,
Ken

Everyone needs a Savior

Can you feel it?  The world is looking for a savior right now. 

Everything happening in the world – COVID19, racial injustice, riots, mental illness, emotional suffering, medical malpractice, economic uncertainty, cancer, insect plagues, political posturing and games, and on and on and on – add to that list our personal issues and burdens…we all ache for someone to step forward and FIX all that is seemingly broken beyond repair.

As we wrap up our study of Jesus’ encounter with the Samaritan woman at the well, we find something that can help us today:

John 4:39-42
Now many Samaritans from that town believed in Him because of what the woman said when she testified, “He told me everything I ever did.”  So when the Samaritans came to Him, they asked Him to stay with them, and He stayed there two days.  Many more believed because of what He said.  And they told the woman. “We no longer believe because of what you said, since we have heard for ourselves and know that this really is the Savior of the world.”

But what, exactly, do we mean by the word Savior?  The Greek word (soter) means savior, one who delivers from grave danger.  Note that in the New Testament, this always refers to God the Father and Jesus as the Savior of those who believe…saved from experiencing God’s righteous wrath, and saved to a proper relationship with God.  Sometimes the saving is from eternal consequences (like here in John 4), and other times the saving is from living under God’s wrath in the here and now because of willful sin in our lives.

But the Jews expected the Messiah to be their national savior.  For the Messiah to also be the Savior of the world would have been a foreign concept.  However, if Jesus is the Savior of the entire world, not just Savior of the Jews…this means that, through Him, the Samaritans could have what they have desired for many generations: they were finally included in God’s family.

Here’s an interesting observation from Dr. Constable:
The title “Savior of the world” is unique to John, occurring only in John 4:42 and 1 John 4:14 (cf John 1:29, 3:17).  John’s original readers would have been familiar with the title, because the Greeks and Romans gave it to several of their gods and emperors.  Nevertheless, Jesus was the true “Savior of the world”, whom these Samaritans recognized as such.  Jesus was “God in action”, saving the world.  This does not mean that everyone will experience eternal salvation, as the doctrine of universalism teaches, but that Jesus has made everyone savable, and that those who believe on Him obtain salvation.

For clarity, and because of what we’ve learned in our study of John 4, I would add after Dr. Constable’s last word salvation “and eternal life”. 

But did Jesus really atone (i.e. – pay) for the sins of the whole world?  Some people think that Jesus’ death on the cross only paid for the sins of believers, and that unbelievers were left out of the punishment that Jesus’ took on at the cross.  If that is what you have been taught, I suggest you consider these passages:

John 1:29
The next day John [the Baptist] saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Here is the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!”

1 John 2:2
He Himself is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours, but also for those of the whole world.

Jesus is the Savior of the world, not in the sense that everyone will be saved (the error-filled teaching of universalism) but that His light shines for all (John 1:9) and is available to all (John 12:32).  The light is not limited to the nation of Israel, but is for “every nation, tribe, people, and language” (Revelation 7:9)

Because of Jesus, all of humanity no longer has a SIN problem anymore, we have a SON problem…i.e. – whose son are we?  Our need now is for eternal life…which only Jesus can give us.

And that’s what we’ve learned through the story of the Samaritan woman that Jesus met at the well.  He offered her – the societal outcast – living water and that with one drink, her belief in Him would become a wellspring of eternal life.  That same offer is available to Jews and non-Jews…everyone, including you.

Jesus truly is the Savior of the world.

Keep Pressing,
Ken

Borrowing someone else’s faith

When we are young, we believe the things we are told.  We believe our parents when they say we’re going on vacation.  We believe our teachers when they say our heart pumps our blood.  We believe our older brother when he says that when you see the sun from outer space, it is not yellow, but actually green (apologies to my younger siblings for that one…). 

We continue with these beliefs because we trust the person giving us that information.   Sometimes our beliefs are validated at a later point – we do go on vacation and through further learning we find that the heart really does pump blood.  Sometimes we find out that the sun really isn’t green.

We’ve been looking at what happened after the Samaritan woman believed in Jesus for eternal life and then ran back into her town to tell everyone the good news:

John 4:39-42
Now many Samaritans from that town believed in Him because of what the woman said when she testified, “He told me everything I ever did.”  So when the Samaritans came to Him, they asked Him to stay with them, and He stayed there two days.  Many more believed because of what He said.  And they told the woman. “We no longer believe because of what you said, since we have heard for ourselves and know that this really is the Savior of the world.”

Before we go any further, let’s make sure our terminology is clear:  the word believed (Greek word: pisteuo) – means to believe, to put one’s faith in, trust, with an implication that actions based on that trust may follow.  When you boil it all down, to believe is to be persuaded that something is true.  You don’t “choose to believe” or “choose not to believe” – either you are persuaded or you are not, either you believe something or you don’t.

Notice the first group of people believed in Him because of what the woman said.  It was that simple for them.  That’s all the evidence they needed.  In a sense, they “borrowed” the woman’s faith to start their own relationship with Jesus.  And that is a perfectly valid, saving faith.

However, the opportunity to believe simply on her testimony wasn’t enough for some of the townsfolk.  They needed to investigate for themselves.  Since Jesus and the disciples stayed two more days, we now have a second group: those among the many more [who] believed because of what He said.  Further evaluation of Jesus was needed, and His message was the cause of their faith. 

Both groups believed in Jesus – both groups received eternal life.  However, before leaving this story, John takes us back to the first group:

John 4:42
And they told the woman. “We no longer believe because of what you said, since we have heard for ourselves and know that this really is the Savior of the world.”

These were the townsfolk who had believed, because of the woman’s testimony.  However, after hearing Jesus for themselves, they no longer believed just because of her, but because they encountered Jesus and reaffirmed their initial belief – that He is the Savior of the world.

Don’t miss this point: Our base reason for believing in Jesus for eternal life can change, but the important part is Who we are believing in.

Think of it like this…it’s like borrowing the faith of our parents or Sunday School teacher until we evaluate and believe on our own.  Having worked in children’s ministry for an number of years, as well as through raising two boys, I’ve come to recognize this particularly important moment in a child’s walk with God.  Children put their faith in Jesus because they trust “Mr. Ken” when I tell them that Jesus will give them eternal life.  As they grow up and explore their relationship with Jesus through the Scriptures and living their lives, their basis for believing in Jesus is no longer “because Mr. Ken said so”. 

Does that invalidate or call into question their initial belief?  Certainly not.  We see no indication that the Samaritans who believed in Jesus simply because of the woman’s testimony were not “really saved”.  What we do see is that they matured in their faith the more they were exposed to Jesus.

If you are still borrowing someone else’s faith, I encourage you to deepen your relationship with Jesus by engaging Him on your own.  The gospel of John is a good place to start for that.

If you are a more mature believer, allow others to borrow your faith.  After all, that’s how we started out, right?

Keep Pressing,
Ken

Unexpectedly interrupted, and it was good

I have plans.  You have plans.  We all have plans – for how we start our mornings, how we expect the day to generally progress, how we will spend time this coming weekend, how we will spend our money, and on and on and on.  We’re more protective of some of our plans than others…and we certainly don’t like it when our plans are interrupted.  But how many times have our plans been derailed, and we look back and say “Wow, I didn’t expect that good thing to happen.”

That is exactly what is about to happen to Jesus’ disciples. 

After the Samaritan woman accepted Jesus’ free-gift offer of living water and eternal life, she ran back into town to tell others that the Messiah had finally arrived.  Here’s what happened next:

John 4:39-42
Now many Samaritans from that town believed in Him because of what the woman said when she testified, “He told me everything I ever did.”  So when the Samaritans came to Him, they asked Him to stay with them, and He stayed there two days.  Many more believed because of what He said.  And they told the woman. “We no longer believe because of what you said, since we have heard for ourselves and know that this really is the Savior of the world.”

A two day stay was not part of the original travel itinerary.  They were traveling from Judea in the south to Galilee in the north, for most of the disciples, Galilee was home.  I’m sure they were looking forward to seeing family and friends.  When Jesus saw the Samaritans’ need for Him and their desire to hear more, He opted to change the disciples’ travel plans.  And look at what took place as a result: many more believed in Him because of what He said.

Those that heard Him speak over those two days either hadn’t heard the woman’s invitation to meet Jesus at the well, or they were too skeptical to join her and the others when they went back to meet Jesus at the well.  Jesus staying longer gave extra time for even more people to encounter Him.

Think of it, though, from the disciples’ perspective.  They stayed two more (totally unplanned and unscheduled) days with the Samaritans.  The disciples likely didn’t want to be there at all.  Samaritans were outsiders and sometimes enemies to Jewish society.  On their current journey, they were about halfway home.  How did their interactions go when they bought food in the town?  Were they rude?  Stuck up?  Condescending?  If so, what was it like when the shopkeepers arrived later with the woman to hear from Jesus?

There are lots of ways that we could apply our observations from this small section, but let me share a personal one:

A few months back, I was working on the outline for this study of John 4.  It was during my initial flight home from a 10 day work trip.  I was ready to get back to the USA, and I had planned to use at least the first leg of my journey to hammer out as much as I could for this study’s blog posts.  I did not know anyone around me and most were not Americans.  I thought it was the perfect time to shut out the world and do some focused work.  However, soon after takeoff, my plans were interrupted.  The woman next to me must have read some of what I was transferring from my notes to the Bible verses in my laptop’s outline text – she apologized for disturbing me and asked if I was a pastor.  I told her that I am a teacher and gave her a card for this blog.  She was very thankful and told me that growing closer to God was one of her goals for the year and that she’s always amazed at people that can teach from the Bible.  She quickly apologized again and said that she didn’t want to interrupt my work. 

Did I have some work to do?  Absolutely…a lot of work, in fact.  It was Wednesday, I did not have Thursday’s post complete.  I was up against a deadline to have the next day’s post ready for you, my regular readers.  However, taking care of her was more important in that moment.  She went on to tell me that she was flying home to brother’s funeral.  We talked about God and how He can handle our outbursts and frustrations when we don’t understand what’s happening in life.  We talked about our families and parenting boys into young men.  I encouraged her to reach out to me via the blog/website if she has any questions – I hope that she does.  But if I don’t hear from her again in this life (and as of this posting, I haven’t), we’ll have some catching up to do in eternity. 

Her needs at that moment were spiritual food for me, our conversation encouraged me to keep going…but talking with her certainly wasn’t on my To-Do list for the day.  However, Jesus’ encounter with the woman at the well and His unexpected two day stay in Samaria shows us how important it is for us to flexible with our schedules – so we can do God’s work in the harvest fields when the opportunity arises.

Keep Pressing,
Ken