The Encounter with the Ultra Religious- Nicodemus the Pharisee

“ For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” John 3:16

To begin our study on encounters with Jesus we start with the most famous New Testament verse in the Bible. It is probably one most Christians first memorized, and that football fans know as the end zone verse. It’s the gospel in a nutshell. Still, with as famous as it is, very few people know who it was spoken to and the context of the conversation. Some may not even know that it was Jesus who said it about Himself. So let us dive right into the encounter between Jesus and the religious man, Nicodemus. It is found in the third chapter of the Gospel of John, and we’ll be covering the first 21 verses.

 There was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. This man came to Jesus by night and said to Him, “Rabbi, we know that You are a teacher come from God; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him.” John 3: 1-2 Here we get introduced to our man, Nicodemus. It’s important to remember in these studies that these were actual people, not story characters that we’re viewing through a lens of a camera. Nicodemus was a real man who lived in the first century, who served in the Pharisaical council. He was a leader in the community, recognizable by many in the streets. Yet, when he goes to see Jesus he goes by night. He would have drawn the attention of many if he would have gone by day, so he went out to see this teacher, this man he admits is sent from God, by night. Why? Obviously because he didn’t want the attention drawn to himself. Little did he know that the words said to him would become the most recognizable Christian tag line.

When Jesus looked upon the speaker he didn’t see the celebrity. Jesus saw a man in need. He knew the reasons Nicodemus needed to come by darkness of night. Despite all the trappings of his religious outward expression, Jesus also recognized what was going on that brought this man out of his comfort zone. Nicodemus’ religious life was not fulfilling him spiritually. Something was lacking. It was evident in the actions this very recognizable man was taking, sneaking around at night, so as not to bring attention to the reasons he’d sought Jesus out; Nicodemus needed the Counselor.

The encounter begins with Nicodemus acknowledging that he knows Jesus is not what the other Pharisees are saying about Him. Nicodemus admits that Jesus is doing the work of God, for the things that are being done are what was prophesied about. “In that day the deaf shall hear the words of the book, And the eyes of the blind shall see out of obscurity and out of darkness. The humble also shall increase their joy in the Lord, And the poor among men shall rejoice In the Holy One of Israel.” Isaiah 29:18-19

It’s interesting that Jesus didn’t bask in his praise, or praise Nicodemus for recognizing that he was sent by God. Perhaps it was because of all of the people in Israel, it was the religious that should have known what signs to be on the watch for. Why should these watchmen be praised for doing their job? Shouldn’t they simply sound the alarm? Shouldn’t we when we see the signs of our times?

Instead Jesus jumps right into the reason Nicodemus was there. “Jesus answered and said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” John 3:3 There’s Nicodemus, standing right in front of the Son of God, and he doesn’t see the kingdom of God is within arm’s reach. If only he would fall to his knees and say, “My Lord and my God!”

Nicodemus gets stuck, as many do, on the first part of what Jesus said and missed the last part. “Nicodemus said to Him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?” John 3:4 Seeing only the physical, a grown man, trying to climb back into his mother to be born, he finds it laughable. He’s limited by his own understanding of God. God is not limited by us; we are limited by Him.

Jesus answered, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.  That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.  Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’  The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit.” John 3:5-8 Jesus gives him a briefing on what Nicodemus isn’t getting. Nicodemus has something missing, and it’s not the physical. Like so many others, he is missing the spiritual side of things, which is everything he thinks he has a handle on. The physical that he has on the outside is apparent to all, but the spiritual can’t be seen no matter how he tries to guide it. The spirit goes where it wills despite his efforts. The spirit has to be born.

 Nicodemus answered and said to Him, “How can these things be?” John 3:9 As many of us do, Nicodemus holds on to the traditions of his religion rather than what he’s being told. It just doesn’t make sense to give up what has been the stable of his community for generations. “This is the way it’s always been,” is his thinking. “We’ve always had it this way.” Everyone knew the laws and how they were practiced. How quickly he had forgotten the history of his people as a rebellious nation. Who had they rebelled against? God.

Jesus answered and said to him, “Are you the teacher of Israel, and do not know these things?  Most assuredly, I say to you, We speak what We know and testify what We have seen, and you do not receive Our witness. If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things?  No one has ascended to heaven but He who came down from heaven, that is, the Son of Man who is in heaven.”  John 3:10-13  Jesus continues to point out to Nicodemus was lacking inwardly. He wanted, thirsted, for God. His inward sinful man was killing him, both figuratively and literally. He was the white washed tomb that Jesus spoke of, beautiful on the outside but filled with a dead man’s bones on the inside. Jesus reminds him while he is a teacher of Israel, he doesn’t know everything. The one thing Nicodemus wants to know most of all is where he is with God. Don’t we all?

Nicodemus, like many religious people, found his identity with God in the practice of his religion. He did all the right things, but he still felt far from God. He still didn’t understand why he couldn’t find the communion that the fathers of the faith held with God. He wanted that kind of relationship with God. He wanted to be able to really experience God in the fullness of His glory. And there he was, with Jesus, who calls him on it. Jesus uses the term (We) the One spoken of in Scripture, the omnipotent. Yet Nicodemus still doesn’t pick up on it. Jesus continues explaining that He testifies of what Jesus has seen, giving Himself yet another godly attribute, that of omniscience. It’s as if Jesus tells Nicodemus, “I’m right here, in the flesh, and you’re not reaching out. How is it you’re reaching for heaven when you won’t reach for what’s right here right now? You’re reaching up, and you can’t reach God, so that’s why I’m here. I’m here for you. I came from heaven for you.” 

The next part of Jesus’ discussion with Nicodemus is by far the most memorable text in the New Testament. Jesus says, “ And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up,  that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.  For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.” John 3:14-17

  These verses are considered the Gospel message, or the Grace message.  I believe they are rightfully so. Jesus references back to when the Israelites complained against God, so fiery serpents were sent out and bit them. As a parent how many times have we said, “You want to complain, I’ll give you something to complain about!” Yet God raised up for them the very sign of the thing that was taking their lives.  Then the Lord said to Moses, “Make a fiery serpent, and set it on a pole; and it shall be that everyone who is bitten, when he looks at it, shall live.” Numbers 21:8  

This was a very familiar history to Nicodemus. He might have even expounded on it in discussion with other Pharisees. Jesus relates it to what will be done on Nicodemus behalf. Jesus is telling Nicodemus to keep his eyes on the Son of Man if he wants to have eternal life. Jesus then gets to the good news, the part that meets Nicodemus need, the part that meets all our need. Jesus tells him it is all about love, that God loves him, and that if Nicodemus chooses to believe that God loves him enough to send the sacrifice for his sin, that emptiness, that void, the distance that has kept him from having that communion with God will be gone. I believe that at this moment Nicodemus softened, and all pretense left him. I believe this because of what Jesus said next. He says that he didn’t come to condemn, but to save.

For a Pharisee the idea of a God who would actually save by faith was groundbreaking news. They whole heartedly embraced the idea of salvation by works; those works being the strict adherence to the law. Nicodemus knew that he was a lawbreaker, at least at heart. What must that have done to Nicodemus? His world had just been turned on its axis. He was speechless. I know this because he doesn’t say anything else. But Jesus does…

“He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.  For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed.  But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God.” John 3:18-21

And there we have it! A Christian’s defense when someone says they don’t like Christians because they’re so condemning. It’s not the Christian who is condemning, as long as they’re really not condemning and telling people they’re going to Hell. That’s not what Jesus did. He didn’t tell Nicodemus he was going to Hell. He just told him that the choice was up to him. He could choose the darkness or the light, and that men love the darkness rather than the light, because in the light people see what you’re doing. Wow, what a way to leave it with Nicodemus! The man who came to see Jesus at night, so that no one would know he wanted to see Jesus.  So what became of Nicodemus? Did he go off by night never to heard from again?

No, his encounter with Jesus didn’t end there. We see him twice more in scripture. First we see him when the Pharisees are debating amongst themselves about why the officers didn’t arrest Jesus, and Nicodemus defends the officers, and gets reproved by the other Pharisees for it. (See John 7:45-52) Then there is the defining moment for him which demonstrates where he actually fell when it came to having to make a choice between staying in the shadows or living in the light of day.

^“ After this, Joseph of Arimathea, being a disciple of Jesus, but secretly, for fear of the Jews, asked Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus; and Pilate gave him permission. So he came and took the body of Jesus.  And Nicodemus, who at first came to Jesus by night, also came, bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about a hundred pounds. Then they took the body of Jesus, and bound it in strips of linen with the spices, as the custom of the Jews is to bury.  Now in the place where He was crucified there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb in which no one had yet been laid. So there they laid Jesus, because of the Jews’ Preparation Day, for the tomb was nearby.” John 19:38-42

Nicodemus the Pharisee became the undertaker for the crucified Jesus. This action was beyond a caring friend. His action was one of love and honoring, and sacrifice. Nicodemus was a religious observer of the law, and as such he would not defile himself by tending to the body of an executed criminal, especially one handled by gentiles. Yet, he not only came with Joseph to help he provided the embalming mixture, meaning he cleaned and wrapped our Lord. He did this on the preparation day, the day before Sabboth. This was quite a departure for a man who preferred not to break the rules. He broke them big, but he did it out of love, and his heart was broken. He’d seen a man who brought him a message of a God who didn’t condemn, but loved him, raised up to be looked upon, and it had healed him. He was changed. It was evident in the actions he took, in the light of day, before God.

Encounters with Jesus- Starting Something New and Exciting! Tune in and See!

 And there are also many other things that Jesus did, which if they were written one by one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that would be written. Amen  John 21:25

Having completed our study of the story of David and Goliath, I’ve spent the past couple of weeks in prayer to see where to go next. I’ve asked God what He’d have me do, and I felt that He’s led me to do the study on Encounters with Jesus. It seems that with all the stuff in the world today we need to get back to Who it is we serve. We need to go back to the Source and see Him for who He is, not just who we want Him to be, but actually the Jesus scripture reveals Him to be.

        Nothing reveals who we are more than how we rub up against others. So who was this Jesus?  The words Jesus spoke and the actions He took have changed the world. When we think that this historical figure, who was not a king born in a castle, nor a landowner, nor a revolutionary that overthrew a government, somehow has changed the course of history, then there has to be power there. For three short years he walked the arid lands of Judea, a district of the Roman Empire, that had no great claim to fame or value yet has been a hotly debated territory for millennia. He was no great threat to Rome, and lead no armed insurrection against the Emperor, yet He suffered the death of a rebel, and his followers have been under persecution ever since, and still the movement and the message continues to grow in the hearts and minds of millions.

“I speak not by commandment, but I am testing the sincerity of your love by the diligence of others.” 2 Cor. 8:8 The old adage says you know a man by the company he keeps. Moreover, the way we treat people says a lot about our character and defines us.  The words said over us at our funeral usually have to do with what we did to others, not how often we flossed our teeth or how fashionable we were.  In fact our clothing is usually donated to charity or the relative we never wanted to lend it to ends up owning it. It’s crazy how material possessions will divide people the people you love when you would have wanted them to be together after you die. These people who just said such nice things about you are now ready to throw blows to get the necklace you didn’t even like. Yet Jesus’ death and resurrection can bring people who don’t know each other, and barely speak the same language together.

It’s not just the way we behave with the people closest to us, it’s also how we act as a church that doesn’t reflect our Lord. Recently I went to a rally, a prayer rally for our country, with political overtones. I wasn’t thrilled that I had to go. As I was sitting there beside a young man who works for a political party he said to me that it was sad to see a crowd of thousands gathered to see an itinerant preacher lead a rally and call upon them to become active when this young man can’t even get a few volunteers out in their own neighborhood to do a voter registration drive or walk for a candidate to solicit votes. They were there for the show, but when it comes down to the work they don’t want to put the time and effort in. They’ll armchair quarterback, and speak out at the water cooler at work, but when it actually requires some shoe leather they’re ghosts. Sometimes it’s easier and quicker to write a check than to get our hands dirty. Well, Church, it’s time to get dirty!

 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’ Matt. 7:21-23

So Jesus expects us to do more than just do stuff. He expects us to be the stuff. Yet, what is the stuff He expects us to be?

“Therefore if there is any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and mercy, fulfill my joy by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind.  Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself.  Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others. Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men.  And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. Phil. 2:1-8

Jesus said it best. His message was one of love. He did it all for love, God’s love for us.

“As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love. If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love. These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full.  This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends. You are My friends if you do whatever I command you.  No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you. You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you.  These things I command you, that you love one another. John 15:9-17

Next week we will begin to see this love in action as we examine Jesus interactions with others. We will look at His miracles, His conversations, and His relationships with the people who encountered Him. We will see what happens when God sets His foot on Earth in order to become the propitiation for our sins. Hold on, and pray. This is going to be an undertaking of Biblical proportions. 

Steady! Stand Fast! Stay Your Course!- The Faithfulness of The God of Heaven.

…and his sling was in his hand. And he drew near to the Philistine.  (from 1 Samuel 17:40)

David was a warrior, but more importantly than that, he was a believer. He believed in a mighty God. When he stepped out to face Goliath, he knew it wasn’t him that was facing the giant, it was the giant that was facing God. David stepped out with one weapon he had fashioned, only one that had not been provided by God on the field. David brought his sling to the field. The sling was his weapon of choice, a weapon he was well acquainted with and trusted he had mastery over. He knew it well, and how he had to hold it, to swing it, and when to release the end so that the stone would hit the intended target.  He practiced since he was a child at using the sling and he was good at it.  He had been faithful with it. The sling was a symbol of David’s fidelity.

Righteousness shall be the belt of His loins, And faithfulness the belt of His waist. Isaiah 11:5

God desires our fidelity just as much as we desire it in any of our relationships in our life. Being betrayed in a relationship is tantamount to being stabbed, which is why we refer to it as being stabbed in the back. Our God is also very familiar with it. We are very good at betrayal, and fidelity is not as easy for us.  Loyalty is only an attribute as long as it is first of all convenient, and secondly, the person we’re loyal to is also loyal to us. Jesus expressed this very well when explaining our future to us, “ And then many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another.” Matt. 24:12”  Things aren’t looking so good, are they? So what is it that inspires us to be loyal and faithful to God?  What was it that held David so that he would step out on that field to face such a formidable enemy convinced he would walk off the field victorious? And how can we have that sling in hand and know when we take aim our enemy is going to fall, without doubt?

Relationship with God is all encompassing. It was all David had to focus on during those days of tending sheep. Yes, there were predators to defend against, but David didn’t have the noise we do in his life. He didn’t wake up to the sound of the alarm clock, to what was going on in the nation’s capital, or having to check his Outlook to find out what his schedule for the day would be. He wasn’t in a hurry to get to the gas station or to the job site. He was usually on the jobsite. He had what he needed with him. He had his faith in God. He had his trusty sling to use what God had provided for his defense and the defense of his charge.  

The sling is an interesting weapon. It was made from natural fibers, usually a form of leather like lamb’s hide which gave it more elasticity, consisting of two lengths the span of a man’s arm, with a ‘basket’ which held the stone in the middle of the spans. Having a longer span just made it harder to launch the stone, and didn’t make it go farther. A double span was all that was needed to make the weapon effective. One span was looped so that it would lasso around a man’s palm or finger, and the other was knotted so that he could hold onto it and then release it, like throwing a rock. The stone would volley in the direction of the knot. The slinger would hurl the sling around his head only once, since several times around didn’t really do anything other than make it more difficult to control the stone in the basket. It really didn’t serve to increase the distance or the velocity, but could end up hitting your buddy in the head instead of the enemy. The sling was a very effective weapon when the purpose was to keep a distance from danger. With a predator, or a giant, staying out of its way was vital for security.

If we allow ourselves to draw the symbolism of the sling as David’s relationship to God it’s all together beautiful. The sling, two spans of the man’s arm being our spirit reaching back toward our heavenly Father; holding the weapon of warfare, be it the word, prayer, worship, fellowship, or service;  in the basket being our heart . We swing it once around our head because that’s all it takes to cover us, with one part firmly wrapped around us, and the other being released from us to point the way in the battle. It encompasses the warrior’s space and makes him most threatening, yet while he’s in his stance he’s most vulnerable to the attacks of the enemy.  It’s a beautiful picture, and when we think about it, how God could use this weapon to take down a Giant, it does seem pretty anti-climatic. It was just a stone’s throw and the mighty warrior was down.

Still isn’t that how our God does amazing things. He can be in the massive cosmos and in nano-space and it’s all just as important to Him.  “ Are not two sparrows sold for a copper coin? And not one of them falls to the ground apart from your  you are of more value than many sparrows.” Matt 10:29-31 He’s the miracle worker, yes, but He’s also in our day to day. That’s where David found enough faith to step out on that field of battle and stand his ground even if he had to stand it alone with just his sling and a stone, because what the armies around him couldn’t see is what he had lived. It wasn’t just a sling and a stone. It was his faith and his God. “Then all this assembly shall know that the Lord does not save with sword and spear; for the battle is the Lord’s, and He will give you into our hands.” 1 Sam 17 :47

Whatever God has given you to use, it’s the sling in your hand, use it. Step out in faith and don’t be afraid. God is actually the Warrior, you’re just standing there. He’s doing the fighting. I want to leave you with another picture of a battle from the Old Testament. It’s Joshua when he was facing Jericho. He, like Saul, was reluctant, until he saw the Warrior on the hillside.  “ And it came to pass, when Joshua was by Jericho, that he lifted his eyes and looked, and behold, a Man stood opposite him with His sword drawn in His hand. And Joshua went to Him and said to Him, “Are You for us or for our adversaries?”  So He said, “No, but as Commander of the army of the Lord I have now come.” Joshua 5:13-14 Remember what happened after that? The walls fell down without Israel lifting a single weapon. They just lifted their voices.  

Counting the Casualty of Warfare-- The Shepherd’s Pouch: The Heart

Create in me a clean heart, O God, And renew a steadfast spirit within me. Psalm 51:10

David placed the stones inside of a shepherd’s pouch. What was a shepherd’s pouch? Simply put it was a purse, or as men would put it today, “a man bag”, only it was open most of the time, easily reached into, and easy to draw out of when David needed something in a hurry, and in the case of Goliath, he needed that stone in a hurry. Another way to think of it was a pocket. It was just a little thing that hung along his side that held what he needed. Yet there’s a lot to be said about that pouch, about that little something, that held that all important pellet of divine retribution. There’s a lot to be said about what holds those weapons we’ve covered in our study thus far: the word, prayer, worship, fellowship, and service. What is it we put those weapons of Christian warfare into? Our Great Shepherd’s pouch, that little thing He gave us to put them in, is our hearts.

One of the things we need to know about our heart is that God made it in the image of His own. Our hearts, like His, were meant to love. He meant it to be free to love Him as much as He loves us, in purity of spirit. “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.” Deut.6:5 He gave us this ability to choose between loving him and loving something else or someone else. Regardless of what we choose to pursue in love, we were made to go after it ‘whole heartedly’.  Free will can be a triumph for God, or, because of the fall, a curse on man.

If left on our own, we will blow it. During the fall we saw this in full display, and we’ve seen it continue to roll upon us like a tsunami ever since. When God called to mankind in the garden “where are you?”, it wasn’t because He didn’t know. It was because He was pointing out positionally where we’d gotten to; to a place where we could no longer reach into the pouch and find the weapon we needed to defeat the enemy who would tear us limb from limb, who was set on destroying what God intended for good. We were created for good. Our hearts were created to be like His heart, but we sinned and use our choice to go after other things, other gods.

Our purses get full of clutter, some big clutter and some fluff like used tissues and old receipts for nickel and dime stuff. Have you ever been in a hurry to find something and been embarrassed by the things that fall out of your purse or pocket? Those items you keep in there that you wish you didn’t have to keep on you, but at the wrong moment out they pop when what you meant to pull out was something innocent like a pen or your cell phone. Somehow everyone in the room finds out what your medication is, or that you forgot to take that movie back to Redbox, the one that your nephew got that you would never have rented, but since you were going that way you agreed to drop it, but forgot all about it…a month ago, and now you own it because you ended up having to pay for it. Or who knows what else comes out. Oh, the humiliation if you should drop your purse and spill everything out!

Such is the case with our hearts. The heart is deceitful above all things, And desperately wicked; Who can know it?  I, the Lord, search the heart, I test the mind, Even to give every man according to his ways, According to the fruit of his doings. Jer. 17:9-10  We fill our lives with these other idols. We think some things are useful to us only to find that in time they turn to rubbish, so they need to be replaced with something newer and shiny that becomes old and rusty. We are never satisfied, because all that we try to fill our hearts with are not what they were created to be filled up with. There’s a song that says there’s a God shaped hole in all our hearts, which is so true, so why do we put so many other things before Him?

The first commandment begins with a prefix, “I AM the Lord, Your GOD.” Exodus 20: 2. It can sound rather demanding if that’s all we read, but the next part of the verse shows the love He holds for us. “Who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.”  Egypt was a place God originally provided as symbol of the world, to give provision for the house of Israel during a time of famine, but not to live in forever. That was not their intended homeland. Still, He remained faithful. They went in as a family and came out as a nation. He did that. God provided for them amazingly. Yet, while there, because of what He did in blessing them, they were enslaved due to the fear of the Egyptians. Faithfully, He brought them out of their shackles and freed them, bringing them through the parted waters, with signs and wonders of which there was no doubt there was a mighty God in Israel. This was love. His words are not demanding. I AM, is not demanding, it is loving. As you struggle in your times of need you may think, “But who is going to take care of this for me?” The Lord answers, “I AM.”

Our hearts are to be empty until filled by the Lord. Psalm 37:4 says “Delight yourself also in the Lord, And He shall give you the desires of your heart.” If we put the Lord Jesus first, not just first, put optimal in our lives, He will fill us with the desires for our heart that He wants us to have. It won’t be about us doing what we want, but about what God would have us do. David didn’t go to the battle thinking he was going to beat down Goliath. He went in knowing that God was going to defeat the enemy of His people. He knew because of what was in His heart, what was in His Shepherd’s pouch.

As you struggle in your times of spiritual warfare you may think, “But who is going to take care of this enemy for me?” The Lord God answers, “I AM.”

The Special Ops Team- We never leave a man behind- Service to God Is Service to Others.

“Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. But someone will say, ‘You have faith, and I have works.’ Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works.” James 2:17-18

Last week I asked you to consider two things. We all have the capacity to do good, but more often than not we do it out of selfishness, not godliness. Also, people confuse the capacity to do good with having the ability to BE good. It’s NOT the same thing. This week we look at the final stone of spiritual warfare, Service. Now, let’s be clear, I’m not talking about the social gospel of the nineteenth century in which works overtook the faith aspect of Christianity to the point where the church began to define itself by the number of converts it reached and the amount of giving. It might sound good, but then it becomes about the numbers and not about the quality of the fruit produced. Jesus did say, “Therefore by their fruits you will know them.” Matt.7:20

Jesus was the example of one who was completely motivated to serve others. “Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus,  who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God,  but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men.  And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.” Philippians 2:5-8 There is no greater example of service than that, to be so selfless as to be sacrificed for the salvation of others. So, how can we who are called Christians become Christ like?

It comes down to what motivates us to do things. Jesus said that our first priority is to love God, and our second is likewise, to love our neighbor. In the same exchange of conversation, it was asked of Him who our neighbor really is, that is, who is it we’re supposed to view as deserving of our love. Jesus tells the story of the Good Samaritan Luke 10:25-37. The interesting part of the story is that he’s talking to a Jewish audience about a person they consider to be unclean and less than them in importance. Yet He asks who acts neighborly in the story, those in their society they consider to be godly or the one they consider to be less than human. The answer is obvious, the Samaritan is more the soldier of godliness than the priest and the Levite, even though they had the crown and the title of worldly church goers. They had the numbers, but they also didn’t have the heart because they weren’t willing to consider the injury of their own country man and take the time, especially when it came to breaking their schedule and dirtying their hands. They excused their own behavior in some way. Maybe they thought someone else will come along and help out. Maybe they didn’t want to get involved, or it was too much of a personal risk because the robbers could still be around. The Samaritan didn’t hesitate. He got involved and made the sacrifice, even though the man wouldn’t have done the same for him. His motivation was that he saw someone in need and he could meet that need, that was it. That made him a neighbor.

Many years ago I was teaching on this scripture in a prison ministry pod. A girl I had known in High School was one of the inmates. She sat beside me. What a turn of events for us. There I was, able to walk out of the jail, and she was imprisoned. I knew her story. We had both grown up in similar families, big Hispanic families. We both had siblings that loved us, and parents that prayed for us and taught us about God. She married young and had a son, and so did I, but that’s where our lives changed. I gave my life to Jesus, and she gave hers to drugs. Yet, there she was, sitting beside me, and we talked like old friends. Then she asked me what that world meant, “neighbor” as I went over the Greatest Commandment. She said, “When we were kids, you were my neighbor at school. We were partners in doing projects and scooted our desks together, but I never thought of loving you. So what does that mean? Neighbor?” I went on and told the story of the Good Samaritan. She suddenly looked at me and said, “So your neighbor is just the person next to you. It doesn’t matter who they are? We’re just supposed to love them?” I told her yes, we are supposed to love them. She was quiet for the rest of the study. When the evening ended she came to me and said, “I never thought about it before, but now I think it would be impossible to love someone who isn’t right next to you, so God made it easier, not harder. Love comes easy to love someone when they’re the person right next to you, no matter who they are.” I was so blessed by her words. How wise she was.  

We now know who we are to serve, but now the question comes as to how to serve them. God has blessed all of us with gifts and abilities. I love writing, and communication through speaking and teaching. Others have the gift of hospitality! Wow, am I blessed by them. Others are soothers, they just make us feel comfortable. Others are blessed with the gift of song, or artistry, or design, or logistics, or like my friend Stevie-organization. I used to covet other people’s gifts, but not anymore. Now I rejoice in their abilities because we are all members of the body, and the body needs all its members. “If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I am not of the body,” is it therefore not of the body?  And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I am not of the body,” is it therefore not of the body?  If the whole body were an eye, where would be the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where would be the smelling?  But now God has set the members, each one of them, in the body just as He pleased. And if they were all one member, where would the body be?” 1 Cor.12:15-19

Besides employing our gifts we should also look to serve in the common ways. The Samaritan didn’t serve by doing anything more than anyone else could have done. He met a need. We are all Samaritans. As Christians we are like Christ in one important way, we all are called to sacrifice our lives for others on a daily basis. We are called to take the stripes and give up the comfortable for the cutting. Yet the world expects it from us. When disaster strikes it’s the Christians who come to the rescue, and it’s the godly who rush to serve. They know it. When we don’t come they point the finger not at us, but at our Lord. “I thought you were a Christian,” they say when we fall short. Why would they say that? Because even the nonbelievers know that Jesus went the distance, and they expect no less from His followers. We need to do the simple things for people too. A mile is not walked in one stride, it’s walked one step at a time. Every race is run in the same way, regardless if it’s a sprint or a marathon, it’s run one step after the other until we reach the finish line. We just need to be faithful in whatever it is He’s given us to do moment to moment, whether it’s to clean your baby’s nose, or to perform CPR in an emergency room. One might seem more heroic than another, but it’s all what each of us called to do as a member of the body.

David was called to sling a stone, and the rest of the army was called to give a shout. The victory didn’t belong to David, it belonged to God. Since the victory was assured that day by the God of Israel, there was no loss of life on the side of Saul’s army. There was no man left behind on the battle field. All of the Israelites went home at the close of day victorious.   

Leave me a comment. I’d like to know something from you, my readers. I wrote a novel called, “Thirty-Seven:Four”. It’s the story of four women who go after their desires only to find that when they delight in God do they find what really makes them content. What is it that you feel God has for you and how do you feel it lines up with the gifts He has given you and calling He’s placed on your heart? You can leave it here, on this Blogspot, or on the Facebook page. Next week we’ll look at the Shepherd’s pouch…the heart. God bless and be armed with the weapons of spiritual warfare.

Survival Training- Hand to Hand Combat- Fellowship

Last week we looked at the Worship of God as the stone thrown at the enemy. I truly believe that when God’s people are in worship nothing can stand against that weapon, and it is as if a nuclear bomb has gone off. So what would be left to wage war with? When referring to nuclear war, Albert Einstein said, “I don’t know how the World War 3 will be fought, but I know World War 4 will be fought with stick and stones.” If we, as a church, could so engage in the worship of God with each other in unity, then we will have defeated the enemy. This week will look at the need for survival training as we study Fellowship.

 And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching. Hebrews 10:24-25

Do you remember the children’s nursery rhyme played by holding your hands clasped together? “Here’s the church, here’s the steeple, open the door and there’s all the people.” Do you remember being amazed by the people which were really just your own fingers? Did you notice they were all different looking than when they were on the outside of the church? I do. I remember thinking that my fingers looked so different all bunched up like that. I wasn’t sure if they looked better or worse, just different. In a way that’s what being in the church does to a lot of people, it makes them look different. Fellowship is the most difficult form of warfare to wage, because it’s usually hand to hand combat, up close and personal; and it means seeing the face of the enemy…in the mirror.

I want to encourage you, gentle reader, to hold on tight, this week is going to be a bumpy ride. We’re dealing with a subject that is going to be both convicting and offensive to most of us, fellowship. It would seem that it would be a wonderful subject to talk about filled with church potlucks and choir practices, but in reality the issue with fellowship is all the fellows in the ship. In dealing with human beings I’ve found that people have a lot of problems, mainly they stink. They literally stink. If you put a lot of people together, working hard, the smell that permeates from them can become terribly offensive. That’s why I avoid gyms all together.  I’m being a little tongue in cheek here, a little, but also being very honest. The problem with the church today is that it’s full of sinners, a lot of sinners, very bad, ugly, defeated, sinners. So go ahead and open the doors. There are all the people, and you’re one of them, and so am I. We look different in the seats on Sunday than we do on the outside. But the enemy is not what’s making us appear different on the outside; it’s what’s making us different on the inside.

We’ve all been there with our accusing Eliab attitude. You know that sister that you’ve been told is gossiping about you? You know her? Or that woman that said that mean thing about your friend? What about that guy in the parking lot on your way into service that made that comment you didn’t care for while he thought it was funny? Stink, stink, stink! You were in great mood until you got to church, but now you feel the pressure of those hateful eyes boring into the back of your head. Whatever message the pastor gave has escaped you, but why should you listen to him anyway? He’s probably the biggest sinner of us all! Everybody knows his testimony. Stink! Stink! All of us have Eliab saying to the David inside of ourselves, “Why did you come down here? And with whom have you left those few sheep in the wilderness? I know your pride and the insolence of your heart, for you have come down to see the battle.”(1 Sam.17:28) We forget who we are, and what we are there to do. We didn’t come to watch, we came to wage!

Yes, it’s true, if you put your faith in man, man will let you down every time. All those fellows in the ship with you, well, they think you stink too. We all do. Go ahead and take a whiff of your own arm pit. It isn’t pleasant. And if it is then it’s because you’re not pulling your weight in this boat with the rest of us. This isn’t a pleasure cruise. We’re sinking here and we need help keeping this vessel afloat! We are sinners, all of us. We need to stop fighting each other and turn our attention on the real enemy of the church.

For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Eph 6:12

 No human being is your enemy, either in the church or outside of the church. Those in the church are your brothers, and like any family you might have disagreements with them. Like any family there are ways of fixing things because ultimately love wins out. We need to see that sister that gossips as maybe someone you wouldn’t want to confide in, or listen to, but pray for, and maybe even confront in a loving way. The guy that thought he was funny might just be socially awkward; maybe he just needs more practice being around people,  so maybe you should take him to lunch and tell him when something isn’t funny, but in a kind way. As for the pastor, well, maybe he’s human after all. I’m not saying there isn’t times when you don’t have to part company with a brother or sister, but don’t leave angry. Leave the relationship in good standing so that when you run into each other you can greet each other warmly and in the love of the Lord. If you can’t do that then stay in communication until you can, if possible. (See Matt. 18:15-20)

If someone is outside the church you should view them as a potential brother, as someone you should be sharing the message of the gospel with. The message of the gospel wasn’t one of hate, but one of love and sacrifice. Jesus said, “Repent, for the Kingdom of God is at hand.”  His was a message of salvation from sin, not condemnation to hell. I’m not saying that we shouldn’t tell people that they’re in sin, that would be foolish, because honestly they usually already know that, and if we don’t they could end up in hell. We don’t stop the message at the repent part, but finish up with the Kingdom of God part, or it’s not the good news. It’s just news. So like any news it’s “okay, got it, thanks for letting me know” for a lot of people. It’s like telling them the economy is crashing. It doesn’t matter to them unless their heavily invested or until they see it actually take effect in their lives, which could be a very long time if ever, and by then it could be too late for them to do anything about it. That would be tragic.

Back to the boat analogy for a moment…if you’re not gifted in the field of evangelizing the lost, that’s okay. But please, don’t go swinging the oars around willy-nilly in the name of political causes, hobbies, or some other temporal agenda item you have on your mind. This vessel that we’re all in, it has a mission here; it’s a rescue vessel. We’re here to pull survivors out of the shark infested waters, so please, don’t go bonking them on the head before we can get to them, and please don’t knock anyone out of the boat either. We need all hands on deck! We’re all here to do a job, to row, to bail, to pull the people in, maybe to patch them up once they’re in, or just keep the rest of us going with by being the coxswain and yelling out orders so we keep going. We’re going to sink unless we can all get our focus on our Captain and do as He commands!

“Let brotherly love continue.” Hebrews 13:1

Next week we’ll look at Service, taking this message even one step further as we have to step out of the boat and put our faith in action. Until then consider this: We all have the capacity to do good, but more often than not we do it out of selfishness, not godliness. Also people confuse the capacity to do good with having the ability to BE good. It’s NOT the same thing. Let me hear your comments on that. 

Going to DefCon1- The Worship of GOD!

Last week we left off with the stone of prayer. I hope that you’ve been praying, and during that time you’ve happened to glance upon our next stone within the shepherd’s pouch, Worship.

Give unto the Lord the glory due to His name; Worhsip the Lord in the beauty of holiness." Ps. 29:2

            There is no greater weapon than worship, for when we worship God, and we truly enter into that oneness with Him, nothing can stand against us.

“And He said, ‘Who told you that you were naked?’” Gen. 3:11

Worship of the LORD GOD is akin to dropping an atomic bomb on the enemy. There is nothing like having total intimacy with God that makes the enemy flee. The issue with the worship of God is that it is also the point of attack that the enemy goes after time after time because no one wants to be obliterated, so sin has to take out our most powerful weapon, our cohabitation on the most intimate level with God. In Genesis three, when God asked Adam who told him he was naked, it wasn’t because God didn’t know the answer, it was because it got to the heart of the matter. In that question God said, “Who destroyed our intimacy so that you would be ashamed of it? How could you allow anyone to make you feel shame about what we have together?”

Jesus brought us back into relationship with God thru His death and resurrection so that we could once again enter into worship, and we can answer before God, “No one, Lord, I am undone before you.” We have just moved the enemy’s camp to DefCon 1. And why shouldn’t we worship Him when we consider the depth of that great a love for us. Our love for each other is so conditional. The closest we come to unconditional love is the love we have for our children. A parent’s love for a child can temper through a lot of trials, but even it has been known to have its limits. As painful as it is to tear that relationship, there have been times when a parent has had to release a child in order to guard their lives, or the lives of others around them. Maybe that is love, but it doesn’t seem like it to the child. God is a lot like that. He risked allowing us to go off and decide we would rather not have His unconditional love in exchange for having our complete and devoted love. It’s call a free will creation. I was once asked what God was thinking when He created us to have a free will. I honestly answered that He knew that without our free will we couldn’t love Him with the strength necessary to carry even a small amount of the love He holds for us.  Jesus took the cross for us, the least we can do is choose Him.  

We can worship in many ways. Most people think of worship as singing in church, and that is a definite form of worship. Psalm 66:4  All the earth shall worship You And sing praises to You; They shall sing praises to Your name.” Music is a great form of worship. Who doesn’t love a good serenade? As corny as it sounds we all like having Happy Birthday sang to us by people we love, or to hear ‘our song’ sang into our ear as the one we love dances with us. Since we are created in His image we probably get that desire for those sweet songs of closeness from God.

Other than music, there is the melody of your life and how you live it. Worship of God isn’t limited to those moments in which we have to be alone with Him without others around. God adores corporate worship as well. When His children come together and glorify His name together. How we live with others is a definite act of worship. Putting a smile on the face of another person is Worship before the Lord. Taking the hand of someone who needs to have his or her hand held is an act of worship. In other words, doing the Jesus things is worshiping God. As the formerly blind man said when called to explain his healing, “Now we know that God does not hear sinners; but if anyone is a worshiper of God and does His will, He hears him.” John 9:31 We need to worship God by being the vessel of Christ for others. What better form of worshipping our Creator could we be than being what He created us for?

Aside from the corporate side of worship there is when we worship God by just sitting with Him. Over one summer I spend a lot of time alone with the Lord. I read through His word in order to draw close to Him. It took me 70 days to read through the 66 books of the Bible. During that time, I had a doctor’s appointment. I went into the doctor and he asked me what I was reading. I lifted up the Bible as if he should read the title. Then I said, “I plan to read the 66 books this summer.”

            He answered, “Oh, and what’s the next book?”

I realized he didn’t notice I was reading the Bible, so I told him, “I’m reading THE 66 books,” and handed it to him.

His eyes widened and he said, “I’ve never read the Bible, only parts of it. I don’t know if I’d want to know God on that level.”

I replied, “He knows you on that level, and He still loves you.”

He answered, “I think maybe you’re right. I should try to get to know Him.”
            I said, “Better make it soon too, because you never know what tomorrow holds, but I know who holds tomorrow.” He asked me if that was in the Bible. I told him yes, it was in Jeremiah 29:11. We went on with my examination. Seed planted- mission accomplished.  It was my act of worship toward God, to not fear man but to acknowledge God.

The worship of God does require one major sacrifice on our part. To truly enter in with our heavenly Father we must really empty ourselves of worldly desires, of selfish ambition, and the distractions of the flesh. It’s extremely hard to do that without having the other two previously discussed stones in play. We must have God’s word firmly planted in our heart so we can hear his voice as He speaks to us. We must also have the communion of an unceasing prayer life. To hold these open conduits of worship it is essential to make God not just first place in your life, but the center from which everything else spins out. You don’t have to be an over the top obnoxious person to have that come out of you, but it should be something attractive that other people notice. So worship God, through your smile, through that unexplainable joy that permeates everything around you. Lift your head up and walk like you know that all eyes are on you and it’s your wedding day, because you are…the Bride of Christ—Church! And He is worthy of our praise:

“The four living creatures, each having six wings, were full of eyes around and within. And they do not rest day or night, saying: "Holy,holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, Who was and is and is to come!' Whenever the living creatures give glorth and hontor and thanks to Him who sits on the throne, who loves forever and ever, the twenty-four elders fall down before Him who sits on the throne and worship Him who lives forever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying:; 'You are worthy, O Lord , To receive glory and honor and power; For You created all things, and by Your will they exist and were created.”  Rev. 4:8-11