Tag: Discipleship

Listen

On By BrianIn Book of Luke

During the Transfiguration recorded in Luke 9:28-36, a cloud overshadows them, and a voice says, “This is my Son, my Chosen One; listen to him!”  The Father commands the disciples to listen to Jesus.  We too must listen to Jesus, but how?  He does not walk among us as he did then, so how do we listen to him?

Some might suggest that the words that he spoke while he was here that are recorded in Scripture – the words in red – are his words that we must listen to, but that does not go far enough.  We know that the apostles and prophets wrote the entire Bible as they were led by the Holy Spirit (II Peter 1:20-21).  We also know that the Spirit speaks the words of Jesus (John 16:13-14).  That means that the entire Bible is the words of Jesus.  When we open the Bible and read, Jesus speaks to us.  We must listen.

We must stop and listen.  Peter wakes up to find Jesus talking to Moses and Elijah, and he bgins to chatter on about building three tents.  But is this a time to talk?  Would you interrupt Jesus, Moses, and Elijah?  Wouldn’t you want to hear their conversation?  This is a time to stop all other thoughts, words, and actions, and just listen.

As we gather on Sunday mornings to open the Book which contains the very words of our glorious Savior, this is not a time to get up and wander about, to daydream, to think about lunch or afternoon plans.  This a time to stop and listen.

As we wake up each morning to open the Book to read the very words of Jesus, we must stop all distractions, stop thinking about our plans for the day, and just listen to Jesus Himself speak to us.  Stop and listen.

But we must not just stop and listen, we must also listen and respond.  We cannot listen to Jesus like we often listen to a news announcer – in one ear and out the other as they say.  When God speaks, we must respond.  The Parable of the Sower in the prior chapter reminds us that we must not just hear the Word, but must respond (8:4-15).  Jesus tells us his family are those who “hear the Word of God and do it” (8:21).  We must not just hear the Word; we must do what it says (James 1:22).

So as we gather on Sunday morning to open the Book, do we come planning to not only hear but also respond?  As we open the Book each morning, do we intend to respond?  Do we intend to obey that command, or claim that promise, or believe that truth, or confess that sin, or follow that example?  Do we plan to listen and respond?

Father, you have given us a great gift – the very words of Jesus.  As we open the Book, help us to remember that we are reading the very words of God.  Help us to stop.  Help us to listen.  Help us to respond.  For your glory, we pray.  Amen.

It Is Not About Me

On By BrianIn Book of Luke

In the last post, we considered the identity of Jesus.  We considered his claim to be the King and Savior of the world.  We suggested that either he was the King and Savior or he was an egotistical nut.  Assuming we believe his claim to be the King and Savior (as I do), how should we respond.  Jesus continues in Luke 9 to tell us.

“If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me” (v23).  We are to come after him, to follow him, and this following includes self-denial.

I have a card on my computer which says: “Oh yeah.  I keep forgetting.  It’s not about me.  It is about Him.”  Self-denial is living out this card, not living for myself but rather living for him.  If he is my King, I must live for him.  If he is my Savior, I owe him my life.  How might this play out in practical terms?

It means first of all, that I deny my life (v23-24).  Verse 23 says we should take up our cross.  The disciples knew this was an invitation to die.  As Jesus died for us, we should be willing to die for him.  And countless Christians through the centuries and around the world have given their lives for Jesus and continue to do so today.

Yet, he says to take up your cross daily.  This takes us beyond a willingness to literally die to the idea of dying to ourselves; that is, not living for ourselves, but rather giving of ourselves each day for him and indeed for others.  Because it is not about me, I can set aside my agenda to serve Christ by serving people.  Verse 24 goes on to say that if I seek to save my life (live for myself), I will lose.  But if I die t myself, giving of myself, I will find true life.

Secondly, I must deny nt nly my life, but my stuff (v25).  Yes, I can enjoy what God gives me, but I don’t live for it.  I am willing to give it away.  I can give to others rather than hoard my resources seeking to gain the world.

Thirdly, I must deny my reputation (v26).  Not ashamed, I must be willing to lose my reputation for Jesus by telling others about him.  People may laugh, scoff, or ridicule, but it is not about me, it is about him.  It is not about lifting up my name, but his.

Jesus is our King and Savior.  It is not about me.  It is about him.  May God help us live this out more and more each day.

Web Weekly

On By BrianIn Idolatry, PASSION Points

Maybe I should have called this Web Bi-weekly, but I’d lose the alliteration.  Anyway, here are some highlights from the last 2-3 weeks related to living the three passions life.

First, Ray Ortlund gives another good picture of a passion for God versus idolatry.

Second, Justin Taylor notes the important distinction between loving people in abstract and really having compassion for people (and it even includes a Peanuts cartoon!)

Finally, here are a number of recommended posts about important habits of three passions living – daily prayer, worship, church, simplicity, and even an interesting discussion of modesty.

The Provision of Jesus

On By BrianIn Book of Luke, Uncategorized

Can the provision of Jesus meet my needs?  This is an important question today as we live in a world of uncertainty.  Many are fearful of the future with a poor economy, lack of jobs, loss of money, and the list could go on.  Do we need to be afraid?  Or can we trust in the provision of Jesus?  We get a helpful glimpse of an answer in Luke 9:10-17.

Jesus is preaching to a crowd of over 5000 in a desolate place.  Evening comes, and the crowds are hungry.  This is a big need.  It would take a lot to feed over 5000 people!  Have you ever had a big need in your life? Maybe you do now.

Jesus tells the disciples to give them something to eat.  They rightly recognize that they can’t – this situation is too big for them.  Ever been there – in a situation too big for you?  Maybe you are now.

The disciples manage to come up with five small loaves and two little fish, but that won’t even feed the disciples, let alone the multitudes.  They consider buying food, but where would they get so much food?  There are no Super Walmarts.  The surrounding towns are smaller than the crowd with Jesus.  Even if they could find the food, how would they pay for it?  Mark 6 gives us the figure of 200 denarii.  Each denarius is a day’s wage.  Estimate $100 a day and you get $20,000.  How many of us have that kind of cash on us?  None of the disciples did.  No place to buy food and no money to do it.  The situation seemed impossible.  Ever been there?  Maybe you are now.

But Jesus thanks God (literally blesses God) for the food, divides it up, and they all eat, are satisfied, and have 12 baskets of leftovers.  There was a great need beyond any of them, and Jesus provided for the need.  How has Jesus provided for your needs in the past.  Times when the need was so great you didn’t see how it could be met, but He did.  I can think of ways God has provided jobs in incredible ways for me.  I asked the congregation Sunday, and we heard a number of wonderful stories of God’s provision.  Don’t you think he can provide for your need today?

Of course Jesus provides in different ways for different people.  He might meet a need miraculously like he did in these verses.  Or he might use others to provide for our need as he did when he sent the disciples out in verses 1-6.  Often he provides a job for us to work that our needs might be met.  He makes our gardens grow that we might have food.  And on and on the list might go.  Sometimes he provides in totally unexpected ways.  We are waiting for provision in one way, and he provides in a completely different way.  We don’t understand why, but how he provides is up to him.

He also provides in various amounts.  He provided more than enough for the crowds in our passage.  In verses 1-6, he presumably provided just enough.  Verse 5 suggests there were times when they didn’t get any food, but God still provided enough to keep them going.  None of them starved.  Which reminds us that we could get by on much less than we think.  Paul tells us that if we have food and clothes, we should be content (I Timothy 6:8).  Most of us have much more than that!

Our greatest need, however, is not even food and clothes.  Our greatest need is God, a relationship with him, a home with him forever.  This too is provided to us by Jesus who died for our sins and rose again to give us a new life with God.  Should he choose to withhold food, clothing, or health, still in him we have our greatest need met.  The Psalmist reminds us of this in Psalm 73:26 – “My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.”  One day it will come our time to die.  He will withhold our physical needs.  But he will provide something greater – a home with him.

With all this in mind, how should we face the future?  Do we need to be afraid?  Or is the provision of Jesus enough to meet our needs?  The answer is found in the feeding of the 5000.  The answer is found in our own past experiences.  He is more than able to meet our needs.  So let us:

  • Seek.  Seek his provision for our needs.  Let us pray as Jesus taught us to pray – “Give us this day our daily bread.”
  • Trust.  Trust the Lord to take care of us.  We need not be afraid.  God will give us what we need.
  • Be Content.  God may provide abundantly or just enough.  He might provide for us to come home to him.  Regardless of how he provides, let us be content.
  • Give Thanks.  God provides for us in measureless ways.  We always have reason to give thanks to God.

Freedom Prayer

On By BrianIn Habit of Prayer

Father,

Thank you for our country, and the freedoms we enjoy as Americans.  Thank you for freedom of speech, press, and travel. Thank you for the freedom to gather to worship you, and the freedom to scatter to share the good news with others.

Even more we thank you for Jesus, and the freedoms we enjoy as Christians.  Thank you for freedom from the penalty of sin, freedom from the power of sin, and the promise that one day we will have freedom from the very presence of sin.

Thank you for the wonderful freedoms you have blessed us with in this country and in Christ.  Amen.

Cross Centered or Idol Centered?

On By BrianIn Idolatry

C.J. Mahaney in his book, The Cross Centered Life, provides two quotes that tie his topic to the issue of idolatry:

I fear that the cross, without ever being disowned, is constantly in danger of being dismissed from the central place it must enjoy, by relatively peripheral insights that take on far too much weight.  Whenever the periphery is in danger of displacing the center, we are not far removed from idolatry. – D. A. Carson

Legalism has its origin in self-worship. [i.e. idolatry]  If people are justified through their obedience to the law, then they merit praise, honor, and glory.  Legalism, in other words, means the glory goes to people rather than God. – Thomas Schreiner

(For more thoughts on idolatry, see the new Three Passions Idolatry page.)

Finding Help In God

On By BrianIn Uncategorized

God must be trying to tell me something because my reading this morning again points toward relying on God.

Psalm 146 tells us not to trust in people, for in them there is no salvation.  It would seem to me that this includes ourselves.  Indeed Proverb 26:12 warns us about being wise in our own eyes.  When we think that our newest plan, idea, program, message, or whatever is hot stuff to change the world – we are being wise in our eyes.  We are full of ourselves and our own wisdom and cleverness.  The proverb goes on to say that there is more hope for a fool than one who is wise in his own eyes.  When I am impressed with myself, I am worse than a fool.  This is pretty strong considering the nine verses before all speak of the fool in in very negative terms.

Back to Psalm 146, instead of trusting in people we are called to trust in God.  “Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the Lord his God” (v5).  When we rely not on ourselves but on God, we are blessed.  And why should we rely on God?  Verse 6 continues the thought – because God is the maker of heaven and earth.  As the one who made everything, he can help us.  We should rely on him.

And how does he help us.  The Psalmist begins a list:

  • He keeps faith
  • He executes justice
  • He gives food
  • He sets free
  • He opens eyes
  • He lifts up
  • He loves
  • He watches over
  • He upholds

Of course this is only a partial list.  But the point is that God is the one we should rely on because he is the one who can truly help us.  May we be wise, stop trusting in ourselves, and look to him.

More Relying On God

On By BrianIn Uncategorized

A few more voices on our need to rely on God.

Mark Altrogge notes that we could be the greatest in our area of ministry, but without God all our “efforts would be useless.”

On a related note, Joshua Harris asks, “What are we leaning on?”  He also quotes Jerry Bridges on our need to know God that we might trust or rely on him.

Rely On God

On By BrianIn Habit of Prayer, Virtue of Humility

I was listening to part of a message about John Bunyan by John Piper this morning which referenced II Corinthians 1:9 – “Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death.  But that was to make us rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead.”

How easy it is for us to get this wrong.  We try to rely on ourselves or on our bank accounts or in our own cleverness or…you fill in the blank.  This is a huge issue in ministry as well.  Am I relying on God or trying to do it myself?  Of course, we have to minister, to do the work.  But God is the one who blesses our ministry, who makes it effective…or not.  We always need his grace, his help, his Spirit to be at work, or we labor in vain.

We know this, yet that self-sufficiency can creep in.  We can get so excited and impressed with our newest sermon, program, idea, whatever.  We think, “Certainly this will make a difference!”  But if God doesn’t bless it, it amounts to nothing.

Perhaps God doesn’t bless our churches more because we simply couldn’t handle it.  We would start to think too much of ourselves, begin to rely too much on ourselves.  We would forget that we need God, and that it is all of God, not of ourselves.

I think this is where prayer comes in, though that too can become a mere formality tacked on to our own self-reliance.  But if we truly believe we need God’s help, we will pray.  We will plead with God to work through us.  We will pray with fervor – “Your kingdom come.”  We will join the Psalmist in praying, “Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us, and establish the work of our hands upon us; yea, establish the work of our hands!” (Psalm 90:17)

May this be our prayer as we rely on him.

Web Weekly

On By BrianIn PASSION Points

Last week was a very good and busy week of VBS at our church, so I wasn’t able to blog much.  Let’s start this week with a few recommended posts to visit from around the web related to Three Passion living.

First, we start with God’s passion for us.  Justin Taylor explores how Paul describes God’s grace throughout the book of Ephesians.  His question at the end of his post is important for us to consider: “Do we feel, with Paul, how truly great God’s grace is?”

People are obsessed about all kinds of things in our world, but our passion should only be found in one place as Mark Altrogge reminds us.

If we are going to grow in our passion for God and compassion for people, we need to be in God’s Word.  James MacDonald reminds us of some of the Bible’s vivid pictures of itself – and what they mean for us.