Mark 6:1-13

Click here http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=mark%206:1-13&version=NASB to read the passage.

Skeletons in the closet? No, I’m not talking Halloween decorations. Anything you wish you could have a do-over on? Jesus quoted a common proverb of the time relating the ineffectiveness of prophets in ministering to people they grew up with. Now we all have things not to be proud of. We understand people in our past have seen not only our successes but were also there when we failed. But what I want to know is who had a problem with Jesus. Jesus never sinned, even as a boy. Did people not realize when He was growing up, “There’s something special about this one”? It’s not like Jesus had a childhood He had to “overcome”. Was it Jesus’s family that was the issue? They did bring up His mother, sisters and brothers. Maybe you can identify with a family whose reputation holds you back. Maybe the people were jealous of one who rose to prominence when they did not. I don’t know what the problem was. For sinners, we would hope people would be able to separate a jaded past from the truth of our message and power of God through the miracles. Or, if we have a positive testimony and good reputation could we dare expect credence to be given to God at work in us? All of Jesus’s life consistently represented God, but people still couldn’t get over their own spiritual blindness. The validity and truth of His message and the awe-inspiring wonder of His miracles didn’t open their eyes beyond preconceptions and prejudices.

Where are we going with this? Does this mean we need to move away from home if we are to be fruitful in ministry? Why should we expect more from ourselves than Jesus did? I don’t think that is the answer. Nor do I think we should expect people to divorce our actions and past from our message. We should be concerned about our “image”. Paul instructed Timothy to be above reproach. People inherently desire to know what others think about them. Facebook has all kinds of “inbox me and I’ll tell you what I really think of you” and “send me a number” games. Whatever baggage (good or bad) we have loaded into our lives will go with us. Paul was able to say in several letters, “remember how when I was with you…” Our persistence in living with integrity for God can be leveraged to support the validity of our message. But it could be easy for us to look at Jesus having an “ineffective” ministry and become discouraged by mistakes from past and bridges we have burned. But take courage in this, it doesn’t matter what you have or have not done; it is the power of Christ reaching softened hearts does the work. Just look at how effect the disciples were in verse 13. Jesus healed a few (v. 5), but they healed many. Look at Saul/Paul. Look at Christians throughout history. We aren’t basing ministry upon our good decisions and reputation. We base it on the cross. There are some we may reach and some who will close their ears and take offense. Just remember like Jesus, if you are rejected, shake the dust and move to someone who will listen. Until we all…

Courageous Week 1

To quote Ralph Waldo Emerson, “It is plain that there is no separate essence called courage, no cup or cell in the brain, no vessel in the heart containing drops or atoms that make or give this virtue; but it is the right or healthy state of every man, when he is free to do that which is constitutional to him to do.” Aside from the language being a century and a half old, I like this quote. What the movie Courageous is presenting should not be misconstrued as what the elite fathers of the world should do. It is not an unreachable higher standard. Rather, being a godly parent who invests in the lives of their children is “the healthy state of every man.”

How did we get to a place of weakened expectations and low standards? When did we begin accepting what is most pervasive as what is right? This study is not a call to anything more than what is “constitutional” (at the core, foundational, most basic to who parents are) for us to do. What are your thoughts?

 

If you want to preview the Scripture the message will come from you can read it here http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=proverbs%2020:6-12&version=NASB.

Mark 5:21-43

Click here http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=mark%205:21-43&version=NASB to read the Scripture.

I know who you are. You are someone else’s interruption. You are also the context by which many people understand their lives. Mark 5 provides the account of Jarius and his daughter. Smack dab in the middle of it is the encounter between Jesus and the bleeding woman. Is either the primary story being told? Should we interpret one in light of the other? I usually think of the woman interrupting the story, but for her, her healing is the main story. That Jesus was on His way to Jarius’ house just allows everyone to know the context of what was going on the day Jesus healed her.

On most days we all put ourselves at the center of the universe. It is inevitable. We might be able to empathize with someone else, but our point of view is the lens through which the world makes sense. At best we can say a wedding day is all about the bride. But even then we either imagine our own wedding day, critique what we would do different in the ceremony, or project our own feelings onto them. The same is true of having children, battling illness, and other such events. If we imagine our lives as book, we view it as autobiographical, not a novel. The story is about us, not our role in the bigger story. But there is a bigger story.

Jarius and the woman might not have known each other, but they were connected at the point of seeking a miracle from Jesus. Ultimately Jesus is the narration of the Mark 5 not Jarius or the woman. I think it would be helpful to remember the story does not start at our birth and end at our death. There is a bigger picture. Think back about people who have come and gone in your life. Who were your friends in grade school? Who did you experience college with? Who was your first boss? Were you friends with your children’s friends parents? What about those neighbors you used to live next to? All of these people framed our lives and we theirs. They may have been only an interruption in the continuum of your life, a blip on the radar, but each one is part of the fabric of our lives.

What people have framed your life today? Isaiah 6 famously begins “In the year that King Uzziah died.” What is going on in the lives of the people around you that serve as markers that matter in your life? Conversely, whose life is entwined enough in yours to be a reference point for them? What do we do with the people in our lives? Are we upset when someone keeps us from getting to our destination as fast as possible? Ever think they may have been suffering for years and need help just as much as you? Maybe you will get nothing more than a chance to interrupt someone’s life today, will it be impactful? How do you fit into their story? How can you help their story end well today?

Mark 5:1-20

Click here http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=mark%205:1-20&version=NASB to read the Scripture.

One of the great lessons Marty McFly taught us is the power of the moment. Back to the Future explored how one changed event in 1955 could lead to an entirely different 1985. The second movie explored the same only projected the changes into the future. I wonder if Jesus’ disciples thought He was crazy for taking them “to the other side” of the Sea of Galilee. They left good Jewish territory where Jesus had established His ministry to much fame and popularity to battle a storm as they crossed to the country of the Gerasenes which was Gentile country. Once they arrived, they were immediately met with the three-pronged affront to ritual cleanliness of (1) a Gentile (2) tombs and (3) demons. No problem though, Jesus drove out the demons and even managed to rid the world of 2,000 unclean pigs. But what did that earn them? Another boat ride. It appears the ministry on the other side lasted less than a day. One man was cleansed, but no one else showed any promise of faith.

Sometimes God’s map does not seem to make any sense. The problem is our limited vision. In chess, you have to always be thinking down the road two or three moves at the very least. Football coaches often run the ball knowing it will not be effective at the time to set up the pass later. When we drive down the road, we move into the right lane now so we can exit a mile or two down the road. Thinking ahead on a small scale is something we are familiar with and even comfortable with. God works on more than a small scale though. Are you comfortable with that? I’m afraid too often I am not open to the possibility that God might not use my today until 2028. Even more, I don’t see how seeming defeats today have any redeeming value.

In It’s a Wonderful Life, George Bailey loses part of his hearing when as a child he goes through the ice rescuing his brother. Later, when in his dream, alternate world, vision, or whatever, George has his hearing only to find out his brother never made it to adulthood (and never saved many as a war hero) because George was not there to save him. The connection never occurred to him. I’m sure as the disciples were loading up the boat to leave the country of the Gerasenes they might have questioned whether the trip was worth it. Jesus though knew pawns might appear mundane when they move, but not much happens without them.

Fast forward now to chapter 6. Jesus and company again go to the land at Gennesaret and the people immediately recognized Him and ran about that whole country bringing people to Him. What changed in the lives of those who recently ran Him out of town and country? The most logical answer is that one man who Jesus “went out His way” to drive the demons out of. The man wanted to get in the boat and become the 13^th disciple, but Jesus left him behind as an indigenous missionary. “Go home and tell your people.” Seems the man did just that. Check and mate. God wanted an extensive ministry in Gennesaret and He was willing to “slow play” His hand to get it.

I wish God would tell me when He is positioning me for the future. I wish the Holy Spirit would make it obvious what He was up to. But I’m afraid if He did, I might take some days off. Randy Moss was a dominate receiver in the NFL. The biggest problem people had with him was that if the ball wasn’t coming to him, he would often give less than his best. If we knew when God was going to use us or position us would we give our best all of the time? Actually God is always in the process of using and positioning. We need to live like it.

In an American culture of immediate results, the message of the missionary in Mark 5:19 doesn’t sit well. But just think what happens today might make an unfathomable difference in 2050, 2020 or even December 2011. God has a big picture, trust Him even when it doesn’t make sense to our short sighted minds.

Amos 8:4-9:15

Click here http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=amos%208:4-9:15&version=NASB to read the Scriptures.

What had happened was… If I had known… Excuses and apologies are the difference between comedies and tragedies. Comedies start bad but end good. Tragedies start good but end bad. In Amos, people drive hard for success. They are chomping at the bit for the Sabbath to be over so they can get back to work and make more money. The people use dishonest means to achieve riches. Opposite of a baker’s dozen, they use small bushels baskets when selling their produce. When weighing silver for payment, they use a heavier than accurate standard ensuring a larger profit. It even got so bad they would sweep up the wheat particles off the floor and mix it back in with good grain. Deception was acceptable in their mind’s eye as long as success could be obtained. And they were getting rich.

Throw in the God card. At the end of chapter nine, Amos prophesied of abundance beyond compare. Plowman and reaper combined to illustrate an abundance of harvests and supply far exceeding demand. God did indeed intend to bless His people with lavish success, but not the ones striving through dishonest means. In between 8:7 and 9:11 is the certain judgment against those very people. They were going to lose not only what they worked, fought, and cheated for, but they were going to miss out on the even bigger blessing only God could give.

I wonder if I will be left stuttering for an excuse when I see the missed blessings that could have been. I don’t think I am defrauding anyone, but what about other areas? Do you or I ever have double standards when it comes to people? Do we trample and use people for success? Are there places in our lives follow “acceptable” procedures that fly in the face of God’s commands? As appalling as it seems for the nation of Israel to go against what God said in the books of the Law, I worry we are just as blind to some obvious things in our lives.

When you play a card game like Spades or Rook, you play your hand better if you remember the trump card. It dominates the game. I want to live life remembering the trump card, the God card. What He says dominates and changes everything. He created the game and He determines the winners and losers. We will one day look back on our lives as either a comedy or a tragedy. The people of Israel worked against themselves pursuing the very thing they ultimately lost. I hope we don’t have apologies or excuses; I hope our work will stand.

Mark 4:35-41

Click here http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=mark%204:35-41&version=NASB to read the Scripture.

Road Trip!!! Ok so it was a boat trip. But you know Jesus had to have some awesome road trips. Why do college students take midnight trips to a Krispy Kreme an hour or more away? Is “Hot Now” really that delicious? We have all been on a trip that the experience along the way was more memorable than the destination. The Christian life has been compared to among other things, a journey. Do we celebrate the journey? One negative response to many hymns is the heavy emphasis on heaven. How just this critique is I won’t examine now, but a concern for life now and not merely what will one day be resonates with many Christians. On one side of the water Jesus was teaching in parables, on the other He was about to perform miracles. Most days we have no clue what Jesus is up to. Does God schedule teaching and miracle session on your Google Calendar? While there are definite big moment days in our lives, most of our time is spent on the journey.

The good news is really cool stuff happens on the journey. For a group made of up of many fisherman, a trip across the Sea of Galilee would have been as routine as a trip to Wal-Mart for us. But, as Bilbo Baggins said, “It’s a dangerous business, Frodo, going out your door. You step onto the road, and if you don’t keep your feet, there’s no knowing where you might be swept off to.” Do we let God have power in our routines? All day, every day, do we sit in the classroom of Christ’s instructions? I wonder how many times God has wanted to teach us while we were on the way to church to “learn about God.” It was on the road to Emmaus Jesus explained things, on the road to Damascus Saul was converted, while traveling to the official’s daughter the woman touched His garment and was healed, and it was on the way to the other side they feared exceedingly. For the disciples, the day in and day out journey with Jesus was irreplaceable. I wonder if they ever wanted Jesus to zap them to the other side. Especially when the waves started rocking and the boat started filling, did they ever want to skip the journey and just get there already? I know what my answer would be.

Be encouraged in the journey. It’s how we get to where we are going. Embrace the sense of adventure. When you step out the door with God, you never know where you might end up. You never know what He might reveal to you today. What might seem mundane can transform into a whirlwind adventure. Take a chance with a stranger. Do something holy-irresponsible with your money (holy, but non-sensical). Change your schedule or do everything the same. Just be in the boat with Jesus wherever that boat might go. Anybody ready for a road trip?

Mark 4:26-34

Click here http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=mark%204:26-34&version=NASB to read the Scripture.

I don’t like blades and heads. No that is not an anti-shaving statement (although…), and I don’t want anyone decapitated. When we planted a garden, I would go out routinely just to see how many sprouts were poking out through the soil. The little seedlings were fun. But just like puppies, the new can wear off quick. I soon just wanted the fruit from the vine. Of course it didn’t help that as the crops began growing so did the grass that needed to be hoed or tilled. Planting a garden is exciting, anticipating the most productive harvest ever. Waiting on the harvest is slow and tiring.

Wouldn’t it be nice if new Christians would grow directly from seed to fruit and skip the blades and head stage? For all the desire I have for mature and complete Christians, it can be frustrating when people just “aren’t there” yet. God’s desire is that we all grow to be just like Jesus. But there is a sanctification process alongside our instantaneous justification. Verse 28 is a good reminder of the process and the progressive nature of our Christian walk. Everyone knew the order of growth for plants. No one thinks tomatoes appear and then the vine grows out of them and into the ground. This verse states the obvious and in doing so reminds us of the logical. Christians don’t appear perfect and holy and then sprout a devotional time. We don’t make disciples without first being a disciple.

But this passage also makes clear that mature grain is the automatic and obvious result of a healthy plant. For Christians to remain a blade or blossom without then maturing to bearing fruit is sick. Nothing is as frustrating as waiting on plants to produce a harvest, hoeing the destructive weeds away, fertilizing them, providing protection from damaging insects and wildlife, only to have a pretty plant with no fruit. Sometimes we as Christians are more concerned about looking like a pretty plant than bearing fruit. But when we fail to bear the fruits of the spirit, the fruits of the great commandments and great commission, we admit we are sick Christians, doing little more than frustrating the Spirit who desires more of us.

Growth does not happen over night, but growth does happen. Bearing fruit is as natural as natural a part of the Christian life as any other part of the process since the new birth. When is the last time you evaluated where you were in the growth process? What provision are you making to be a more fruitful believer? Are you content with anything less than a mature, complete disciple of Jesus? How do you think your answer makes God feel? What do you think He is willing to do about it?