Checking the church calendar
Isaiah 1: Meetings, meetings, meetings, I can’t stand one more!
As a pastor I admit that this phrase resonates with me! In this case, though, itās God whoās talking and he’s weary of his people going through the motions, filling their lives with meetings and other religious activity, but never simply getting about the business of righteous living. Sometimes, I think, religious activity is a cover up for spiritual failure or it may be a substitute for actually going out and making a difference in the world. There’s a time for meetings but those meetings are to move us to real living in the Lord. I fear that we church folk attend a committee meeting and think weāve done what Jesus intended we do. In some cases, we’d be better off to drop the meeting and get out into the real world, making a difference in people’s lives for Christ’s sake.
Take Away: Remember, Jesus told us to āgo and make disciplesā ā not āgo and have meetings.ā
Tag: Evangelism
Devotional on Jeremiah
We are sinners
Jeremiah 14: We know we’re guilty.
The prophet has no false illusions about his people. Theyāve sinned against God and their sins have horrible consequences. I note that in this passage Jeremiah uses “we” language instead of “they” language. He identifies with his sinning countrymen. As I read this passage any picture I might have of a craggy old prophet shaking his finger at the “sinners” and telling them to shape up vanishes. Jeremiah cries out for God’s mercy using “first person” language: “we know we’re guilty,” “we’ve betrayed you.” Could it be that one reason the church fails to reach the lost is that weāve adopted an “us and them” mentality? Don’t get me wrong, I know itās important to pray for the lost while thanking the Lord that Iāve been found. Still, thereās a place for cooperate confession. Our culture is rotten. Immorality is the norm. These are “our” sins. Lord, we know we’re guilty, we’re bad people. Please do something to help us, do it for your sake.”
Take Away: Thereās something powerful and life changing in praying prayers of cooperate confession.
Devotional on Jeremiah
The harsh reality
Jeremiah 14: Preachers and priest going about their business as if nothing’s happened!
Jeremiah is known as the “weeping prophet” because he speaks of his tears for his people so often. In this passage he says he cries “day and night” over their sin and the resulting destruction it will bring to them. Heās shocked and dismayed by all he sees: so much pain and suffering, so much sin and evil. Now, another thing shocks him. It’s the reaction of the church people to all this. He expects at least for them to share in his tears over it all. However, it isn’t that way. Church services go on as usual. “Wasn’t that an interesting illustration the pastor used in the sermon?” “Yes, but he preached a bit long for my taste, however, that special in song was lovely, wasn’t it?” Off we all go to our favorite restaurant for lunch, hopefully, we’ll get there before the Baptists. Oh, I’m not really against good church services or Christians enjoying fellowship after the service. However, Jeremiah’s heartbreak over lost people does speak to my heart today. We’ve got to stop doing business as usual and find ways to impact our society for Christ. Our church growth model is often more about getting people to switch to our church than it is about seeing people saved. We simply can’t think we’re doing what the Lord commanded us to do by just having good worship services while so many are headed out to eternity without Jesus.
Take Away: We’ve got to stop doing business as usual and find ways to impact our society for Christ.
Devotional on Matthew
Going fishing
Matthew 4: Iāll show you how to catch men and women instead of perch and bass.
I almost wish Jesus hadnāt used the words he used concerning āfishing for men.ā Generally speaking, our view of fishing is different than was theirs. These men fish for a living. Today, the average person fishes for fun. We use rods and reels and try to trick the unsuspecting fish into taking the bait. When we catch a big fish we take a picture so we can show our friends our catch. For us itās sport, a nice pastime. Reaching the lost isnāt about sport and we arenāt to try to trick the lost into the Kingdom of God. Our motivation is the love and compassion for the lost that flows through our lives. The problem isnāt that Jesus said the wrong thing as much as it is that we filter it through our own experience. The result is sometimes less than he intended.
Take Away: Evangelism is about love and compassion and concern and not about ācatching people.ā
Devotional on Matthew
Guess whoās coming to dinner?
Matthew 9: A lot of disreputable characters came and joined them.
Matthewās job of collecting taxes makes him one of the most disliked people in the community. His dealing with the Romans is unsavory in the eyes of most people and tax collectors are viewed as being dishonest, taking advantage of others. We donāt know if thereās more to the story, but his transition from collecting taxes to following Jesus happens in one sentence here in the book of the Bible that bears Matthewās name. Jesus invites and Matthew stands up and follows. Later on, Matthew throws a party in honor of our Lord. Having followed Jesus for less than a day poor Matthew doesnāt have any āinsiderā friends. All he has is āoutsiderā friends; others who are looked down on by the ārightā sort of people. Matthew invites them all to come to this event where they, too, can meet Jesus. The religious leaders canāt believe their eyes. All their suspicions about Jesus are confirmed. He canāt tell the difference between good and bad people. In fact, heās too at home with the wrong sort of people. Know what? Jesus is right at home with them. However, the question to ask is, āWhy are we followers of Jesus so uncomfortable around sinners?ā Jesus loved them, enjoyed their company, and offered them a better way. I fear that we church people have more in common with the religious leaders than we do with Jesus. We isolate and insulate ourselves inside our church buildings. We read our Christian books and go to our Christian movies and listen to our Christian radio stations. We have Christian softball and bowling leagues. When the pastor urges us to bring our unsaved friends to church we shrug our shoulders and declare that we donāt have any. Maybe the church world needs to add ābefriend a sinnerā week to our busy church calendars.
Take Away: We canāt bring light to the world if we spend all our time hidden behind closed church doors.
Devotional on Matthew
Practical instruction
Matthew 10: Itās best to start small.
Jesus now settles on twelve men to be his core team. They donāt know it yet, but they (with one exception) will become Apostles who will lead the infant church. He sends them out on a mission to spread word of Kingdom come. Interestingly, he spends as much time telling them what not to do as he does telling them what they are to do. For instance, he tells them not to head off for distant places. Rather, theyāre to stay local. He tells them that they donāt need to take a lot of stuff with them. Their changed lives are the best āshow and tellā imaginable. Theyāre to stay in modest places, to be gentle and not argumentative with those they encounter, and to leave a place rather than stay for a fight. They arenāt to worry about what they will say but, instead, to trust the Lord to give them the right words at the right times. He tells them not to be afraid or intimidated. His example of Kingdom ministry is offering āa cup of water to someone who’s thirsty.ā It occurs to me that I tend to make complicated what the Lord made simple. Maybe instead of spiritualizing all this stuff I need to do something simple like buying some bottled water to give out to anyone who looks like they might be thirsty.
Take Away: Letās not complicate simple mattersā¦if we keep it simple, weāll find an abundance of ministry opportunities.
Devotional on Mark
Iāve got a secret
Mark 4: Weāre not keeping secrets, weāre telling them.
The theme here is parable telling. Mark tells us some of Jesusā stories and then remarks that Jesus is ānever without a story.ā The reason for this approach, according to Jesus, is that heās in the āsecret revealingā business. No hidden, mystic religion of riddles here. Jesusā purpose is to open wide the doors to the Kingdom of God. People who never understood before now get a crystal clear picture of God at work. Now we understand how the gospel takes root in some lives but not in others. We see what happens when the gospel does take root, starting small but becoming a huge, transforming force in life. And, we see Godās purpose in all this. Those who receive the gospel are to let the light of that gospel shine in their lives. We arenāt to be ākeepers of the flame.ā Instead, weāre āgivers of the flame.ā We donāt take the gospel into our lives and hide it. Instead, itās to be the noticeable thing about us. So, howās it going? Do people see the light of the gospel in my life? If Iām one of those who has received the gospel and if it has taken root and become the number one thing in my life, is it what others see in me? At the very core of my life, Iām to be a āsecret tellerā letting others in on the best news in the world. If not, maybe itās because Iām not the kind of āsoilā I think I am!
Take Away: Some secrets are best told.
Devotional on Luke
Jesus likes people of doubtful reputation
Luke 15: A lot of men and women of doubtful reputation were hanging around Jesus.
One problem the religious leaders have with Jesus is the type of people he attracts. He gets along with prostitutes and tax collectors, the very ones they use in their sermons as the kind of people who should be avoided at all cost. Jesus, though, welcomes them. He doesnāt tell them to go clean up their acts and then come back. Rather, he welcomes them just as they are. When the religious leaders complain about this, Jesus tells three ālost and foundā stories. In each story that which is lost is of real value and in each thereās great rejoicing when itās found. The religious leaders might think of these folks of doubtful reputation as worthless fodder for the fires of hell. Jesus, however, places great value on them and when one of them comes and listens and then chooses to be a friend of his he thinks a celebration is in order. As I read these lost and found stories I fear Iām less like Jesus and more like the religious leaders who are represented as the elder son in the final parable. In our society a Christian can pretty much saturate his or her life with āChristian stuff.ā If I handle things right, I can avoid these people of ādoubtful reputationā and not have to deal with them at all. If I do that, though, I have more in common with the religious leaders than I do with Jesus.
Take Away: Jesus loves lost people and so should I.
Devotional on John
Rubbing shoulders with the āuntouchablesā
John 4: Open your eyes and take a good look at whatās right in front of you.
The disciples go into Sychar to buy some lunch. As good Jews theyāre uncomfortable dealing with the Samaritans, but they steel themselves for the task, do what has to be done as quickly as possible and return to Jesus who, in their opinion, has wisely waited outside of town. To their surprise, they find him in conversation with one of āthemā and a woman at that! Shortly (at least in my imagination) these disciples will squirm and nearly run away as the whole town of Samaritans surrounds them, pressing in on every side. This will be the first small break in their separatist views that will be broken wide open by Paulās ministry some years later. Jesus describes this Samaritan village, not as a necessary evil, but instead, as a field ready for the Kingdom harvest. In the church we often pray that the Lord will help us find spiritually hungry people to whom we can minister the Good News of the gospel. Is there a chance that weāre like the disciples at this point? Are we overlooking the possibilities right next door? Are there people we carefully avoid who Jesus views as āfields white unto harvest?ā Would the Lord have us (me) rub shoulders with some of these āuntouchables?ā I need to spend more time in this passage.
Take Away: If Iāll just open my eyes I might see some surprising spiritual realities.
Devotional on John
Journey to sight
John 9: āMaster, I believe,ā the man said, and worshiped him.
His journey to physical sight contained multiple steps. He began the day blind, listening to a conversation between Jesus and his disciples about himself and his pitiful condition. Then, Jesus turns his full attention to himself. The Lord takes common dirt, spits in it to make a sort of mud plaster, and sends him to āSent Poolā to wash. He obeys and he sees! Now, he finds himself at the heart of an inquiry being conducted by the religious leaders. In amazing callousness they’re more interested in the fact that the healing took place on the Sabbath than they are in the healing itself. When the once blind man is asked about his healer, he says he is a man named Jesus. Later on, heās had time to think about what has happened, and when heās asked a second time about his healer, he upgrades him from merely being a man who made mud to proclaiming him to be a prophet of God. Then, when heās pressed on the issue yet again, he decides his healer ought to have disciples, that heās a man from God. Finally, when he literally sees Jesus for the first time at their second meeting, he worships him. His journey to spiritual sight has taken multiple steps and heās now ready to worship. Obviously, this spiritual journey is extraordinary. Still, in this story weāre reminded that people come to the Lord step by step. Who knows? My part in someoneās journey might simply be to direct them down the block to āSent Pool.ā Someone else will help them at other key points of their spiritual journey.
Take Away: Clearly, there is a crisis point in which people declare Jesus as āMasterā in their life, but there are also plenty of other less dramatic points in that journey too.
Devotional on John
He measures up
John 10: Everything he said about this man has come true.
The situation with the religious leaders in Jerusalem is about to come to a full boil so Jesus withdraws, out of their reach before making one last trip to that city. He returns to where his ministry began, out in the wilderness along River Jordan. It was here that John the Baptizer introduced Jesus as the Messiah, the Savior of the world. In ways similar to what happened in his earlier ministry in Galilee, people are drawn to Jesus and now they come in droves. In this setting the crowds canāt help but remember Johnās glowing predictions concerning Jesus, made right here just a few years earlier. They conclude that John nailed it. Jesus is everything John said he would be. Thereās something powerful about telling people about Jesus. Even as we make our pitifully inadequate effort to tell the story itās Spirit-powered. Then, the moment our hearer looks toward Jesus something begins to happen in their lives. As it was with John, our role instantly begins to shrink and the role of Jesus begins to expand in their lives. Still, itās deeply gratifying, yet humbling at the same time, when someone takes a moment to glance back our way and comment, āThatās the person who first told me about Jesus.ā I want to do a better job of pointing the way to all who will listen.
Take away: Thereās something powerful about telling people about Jesus.
Devotional on John
Donāt leave home without it
John 14: Whatever you request along the lines of who I am and what I am doing, Iāll do it.
Some of the most empowering words ever spoken are those of our Lord as he prepares his disciples for the soon coming events in these closing days of his earthly ministry. The clock is ticking and soon their world will be rocked in ways they canāt imagine. Still, thereās a light at the end of the tunnel. As a result of all thatās coming theyāll do even greater things than what theyāve seen Jesus do. I think Jesus is speaking to them as a cooperate group and not as individuals. They wonāt all go out and be messiahs in the world, but together, as the Church, theyāll transform the world in the Name of Jesus. They wonāt be alone in their task. Jesus is sending the Holy Spirit, his Spirit, whoāll not only be with them but will be in them, empowering them to do his work. When they run up against impossible situations that threaten to stop them from carrying on his work, all theyāll need to do is call out to him and heāll make the impossible possible for them. This āasking in Jesusā Nameā isnāt an open credit card that they can use for doing anything they want. Rather, this is all about ministry empowerment. Jesus wants them to carry on his work in this world, bringing the Good News of the Gospel to every nation. He promises them power for the task and he tells them that heāll never be more than a prayer away. This may not be an all-purpose ācredit cardā but it is, I think, a mighty fine āMasterās Cardā that I need to use more often.
Take Away: Jesus has provided us exactly what we need to do his work in this world.
Devotional on Acts
Pentecost 1b
Acts 4: Take care of their threats and give your servants fearless confidence in preaching your Message.
The āsilver and gold have I noneā healing of the lame man gets the attention of everyone, including the religious leaders. Peter and John are arrested for starting a riot, but the city has caught āmiracle feverā and the leaders are in danger of having a real riot on their hands if they donāt let the āmiracle workersā go. The disciples are seriously warned to stop talking about Jesus and then let go. Victoriously, they return to the gathering of believers, telling all that has happened. Knowing that these leaders donāt make idle threats, the Church goes to prayer. On one hand, they ask the Lord to deal with their threats. On the other hand, they ask him to fill them with āfearless confidence in preaching.ā If the Lord will, then, they seek an easy path in proclaiming Jesus. However, easy or not, they ask for boldness in telling about him. Luke reports that as they pray thereās a āmini-Pentecostā as the ground trembles and the Holy Spirit re-fills them. Out the doors they go in Pentecostal power to tell the story of Jesus. It may be that we go about this ātellingā business all wrong. We tend to focus on the āmake it easy for meā part rather than the āmake me boldā part. Thereās nothing wrong with asking the Lord to open the way, after all, thatās what happens in this passage. However, we might just see a more powerful display of the Holy Spirit in our lives if we backed it up by praying the āeasy or not, make me more boldā part of the prayer.
Take Away: Maybe we lack boldness because we donāt ask for it.
Devotional on Acts
Telling thankful people just who to thank
Acts 14: We donāt make God; he makes us, and all of this.
Paul and Barnabas arrive in Lystra and open their ministry there by performing a miracle, healing a lame man. The town goes wild and before they know it Barnabas and Paul are identified as the Greek gods Zeus and Hermes. In the mythology of the day Hermes is the spokesman of the gods and since Paul does most of the talking they identify him as Hermes. Barnabas, though, gets the highest title. Maybe thereās a lesson here that if we keep our mouths shut people will think more of us than they would otherwise! Anyway, it takes some doing to calm the crowd down so that Paul can preach the Good News of the gospel to them. Since the theme of the day is already set, Paul focuses in on the true God and his good will toward all people. That good will, he says, is evident in the blessings that surround each of us. Hereās evangelism fueled by Creation. Even a person whoās secular to the core looks at the majesty of the Grand Canyon or some other natural wonder and feels a sense of gratitude. A good place to start a conversation about the Lord is to tell them who it is that we thank for it all.
Take Away: One of the ways the Lord has revealed himself to us is through his Creation.
Devotional on Romans
God at work here
Romans 2: There is something deep within them that echoes Godās yes and no, right and wrong.
Paul hasnāt spent his time locked up in some ivory tower thinking about hypothetical situations. Rather, more than anyone else, heās gone out into the real world dealing with people from all walks of life and a variety of religious beliefs. We think that if we have a spirited exchange with a friend whoās a Catholic or a Pentecostal or a Baptist that weāve been debating religion. Paul has encountered a variety of religious views that reveal our denominational differences to be as trivial as they really are. Heās worked with idol worshipers and with a wide variety of pagans. In all that, Paul has never backed away from his faith in Jesus Christ and heās proclaimed that faith at considerable personal cost. Still, even in the most non-Christian settings heās discovered in people the image of God. Heās seen in those whoāve never heard of the Ten Commandments or the Sermon on the Mount an innate understanding of the concepts taught to Godās people by them. This, Paul says, is a proof of Godās hand in their lives and a reminder that their coming to Christ isnāt as distant a journey as one might think. On one hand, I donāt want to drift into the dangerous waters of universalism. Among other things, that diminishes the sacrifice our Lord made on the cross. On the other hand, I want to appreciate the good things I see in people who havenāt yet come to the Lord. On every human heart, follower of Jesus or not, a sign can be hung declaring āGod at work here.ā
Take Away: Before I ever think of God he thinks of me and before I ever respond to him, heās already at work in my life.
Devotional on 1 Corinthians
Starting at the start
1Corinthians 2: Godās Spirit and our spirits in open communion.
When Paul begins his ministry in the town of Corinth he knows that he needs to take it easy. These folks have little upon which to build. If he starts off dealing with the deeper things of God (like he does in his letter to the church at Rome) theyāll get nothing out of it and will likely turn back to their former way of life. Paul wisely sticks to the basics: Jesus died for our sins and is resurrected. This message speaks to their hearts and they give their lives to the Jesus they hear about from Paul. Still, thereās much more to learn about the Christian life. Now, though, theyāre better prepared to learn of the things of God. The reason for this is that now the Holy Spirit is working in their lives. The Spirit, you see, isnāt into keeping secrets. Rather, heās all about teaching us, leading us one step at a time into a better understanding of the things of God. To some extent we all start our spiritual journey by taking baby steps. Itās important that we, Godās people, remember that in dealing with those who havenāt a clue. Thereās no need to argue the finer points of our faith with people who donāt yet have a handle on who Jesus is and what heās done for us. We start our religious talk here: āLet me tell you about Jesus.ā Once a person receives Jesus into their life, the Holy Spirit begins to commune with their spirit, helping them begin to grasp the deeper things of God.
Take Away: We need to start with the basics in dealing with people, and then trust the Holy Spirit to move them along at the pace he knows is right for them.
Devotional on Colossians
The secret to evangelism
Colossians 4: Make the most of every opportunity.
Believers arenāt supposed to create closed communities of the faithful. Rather, weāre to live right out in the open, rubbing shoulders with those outside the faith, making friends, sharing in their lives. I donāt think this means that believers are never to āretreat.ā After all, Jesus at least attempted to get the disciples away from the crowds sometimes. Still, he always went back to them, loving them, and, apparently, liking those who werenāt his followers. Paul urges the Colossian Christians to not only stay involved in their community but to make the most of that involvement. Interestingly, his directions for them arenāt as evangelistic as you might think. He describes āmaking the mostā as being āgracious in your speechā and tells them that their āgoal is to bring out the best in others in a conversation.ā Apparently, our influencing others for Christ doesnāt necessarily start with a āspiritual conversationā at all. Instead, it starts with friendship, respect, genuine interest. In fact, Paul specifically warns them not to āput them downā or ācut them out.ā In light of these instructions, becoming a āfriendā to someone just so we can tell them about Jesus is off the table. My seizing the moment starts, instead, with my making some genuine friends outside the body of believers. Then, I make sure Iām always gracious in my conversations with them, wanting the best for them. Real friendships are the secret to evangelism.
Take Away: For church people itās a big challenge to make good friends who are outside the church. Still, itās a key component to evangelism.
Devotional on 1 Peter
The disposition of the believer
1Peter 3: Be agreeable, be sympathetic, be loving, be compassionate, be humble.
The original readers of this letter are under pressure, suffering for their faith. Not only that but theyāre in the first generation of Christianity. In this passage Peter describes the general disposition of a believer. Christians are to be agreeable, sympathetic people. Weāre to be known for our compassion on others and our humility concerning ourselves. Weāre not to advance the cause of Christianity by force and people arenāt to have to worry about watching their āPās & Qāsā when theyāre around us. Even non-Christians are to feel comfortable and it should go without saying that weāre to treat one another in kind, agreeable ways. Sad to say, some believers havenāt gotten this memo. They think that theyāre doing God a favor by forcing their moral code down peopleās throats. They think theyāre being good soldiers in his army by creating lots of collateral damage on fellow believers with whom they have a few differences of opinion. The question I need to ask myself is how do I score on this āagreeable, sympathetic, loving, compassionate, humbleā test? Peter, it seems, can almost hear peopleās self-justification at this point, so he adds: āThat goes for all of you, no exceptions.ā He continues, āThatās your job, to bless.ā Of course, my non-Christian friends are to know that I believe thereās a superior way for them to live. At the same time, theyāre to conclude an encounter with me feeling that theyāve been blessed and not cursed.
Take Away: Do people think of time with us as a blessing or a curse?
Devotional on Revelation
As the curtain falls
Revelation 22: āCome!ā say the Spirit and the Bride.
The final scene is that of a river flowing with the Water of Life and a tree called āthe Tree of Life.ā Thereās the Throne of God surrounded by his worshipers. Righteousness reignsā¦holiness everywhere. John is told to publish his vision, making it available to all who will read. Then, Jesus, the star of this whole story speaks, in effect, putting his signature on the entire vision. Now, we hear a word that’s both an invitation to all and a mission for the Church. Thereās the invitation to ācome and drinkā¦freely of the Water of Life.ā Thereās also a commission for the Church, the Bride of Christ, to join the Spirit in echoing the invitation to the entire human race, offering this Water of Life to all who will come. What we receive we offer to others. Now, as the curtain is falling, Jesus speaks again, assuring us of his return. From the audience John answers for all of us: āYes, Come, Master Jesus!ā
Take Away: Jesus is coming back. This is our hope. Proclaiming this truth is our mission.
Devotional on Genesis
The God of the House of God
Genesis 35: He built an altar there and named it El-Bethel (God-of-Bethel).
Having returned to his home region, Jacob and his large family settle in. However, it isnāt long before things get complicated. The interaction between Jacobās family and the natives of the land turns ugly with a rape and then retaliation that includes murder. Itās time for them to go and the Lord names the place: Bethel. It was at Bethel that the Lord first appeared to Jacob when he was on the run from his brother. Now, he moves his entire family and all his belongings to Bethel. Apparently, it comes just in time. Not only are the locals preparing for war against them, but many of Jacobās entourage has begun to dabble in the religions of the region. Itās time for Jacob and family to go to Bethel. When he arrives he builds a new altar to the Lord there. The name āBethelā means āHouse of God.ā Jacob names the altar āEl-Bethelā meaning āThe God of the House of God.ā He isnāt only bringing his family to the place where he met God; heās bringing them to God, Himself. I know itās quite a stretch, but I canāt help but think of our own efforts to impact our families for God. It isnāt enough to insist that they behave themselves or even attend church with us. We need to bring them to God, Himself. Without that, everything else is just sideline stuff thatās bound to fail.
Take away: We need to do all we can to bring our loved ones to a personal relationship with the Lord.