As To Unfinished Business

August 31, 2009

Dear Fellow Travelers,

If you have any unfinished business for August, you had better hurry and finish it, as today is your last chance. Speaking of unfinished business, have you noticed how most of us never seem to be able to finish anything. For the most part, we seem to be under such pressure to get to the next piece of “pressing business,” that we most always leave some unfinished business on our plates; there always seems to be something “we should have done” hanging over our heads. There is no wonder that GERD (reflux disease, aka as indigestion) is so prevalent among believers.
I well-remember that part of my life when I NEVER seemed to finish anything—literally. About the time I got the grocery store opened for the day, one of the several refrigerators would have a compressor go bad. As soon as the repairman arrived, someone would call needing the ambulance. As soon as I put the ambulance in motion, someone would call telling me that their roast was too-tough-to-eat. After “patiently” listening to that story, I would arrive at the accident scene, to learn that someone I knew very well had just been killed in a head-on collision. Obviously, that meant a trip to our funeral home, to begin the sometimes long process of directing a funeral. In the meantime, the repairman would call wanting to know where the circuit breaker was for the refrigerator. In the midst of all of this, the state health inspector would arrive at the grocery story to do his inspection, which meant that I had to leave everything, return to the grocery store, to accommodate his wishes. I know this is difficult for you to believe, but it is true, nevertheless: as I would walk into the grocery story to meet the health inspector, more times than not, someone would meet me at the front door, wanting to know, if I was interested in buying a couple of bushels of peas, to sell in our produce department.
There is more! As I would stop to consider the peas, one of my employees would come to me, telling me that Mrs. Smith (Jones, Andrews, whoever) was on the phone, wondering why I wasn’t at her house, installing her carpet. My response was quick: Tell her that I am late because John (Frank, Sam, Edith, someone) was killed in the auto accident, but I am on the way; should be there in less than thirty minutes. I purchase the peas, only to hear the phone ring again, hoping that someone else would answer it, but in my business, waiting was not an option, so, “Hello, this is Mac.” On the other end would be the raspy, demanding voice of one of Reynolds’ senior citizens, telling me that she needed me to deliver six coca colas—three cold and three at room temperature—and for Hanson (the delivery man) to put the three cold ones in her refrigerator and the other three in her pantry. She always needed them, immediately. Exactly three minutes later, she would call wanting to know why the Cokes were not at her house! I am serious!
As I looked over my shoulder, I could see the H.V. Kell (grocery company) delivery truck backing up to the door, which meant that Virginia could not be sick—not today—but of all days, she is sick and not at work. So, I say to the driver, “I have to go to the funeral home for a few minutes, so please stack everything in this hallway, and I will be right back to check the order.” (In my world, “right back” could mean anything from five minutes to 24 hours.)
With more loose ends, than a room full of people with severe diarrhea, I would finally make it home, somewhere around midnight, for a few hours of sleep. You guessed it! More times than not, about the time my head hit my pillow, the phone would ring, and the tone of the voice on the other end would tell me that I wasn’t finished, not by a long-shot.
I could go on-and-on, but thank God, He removed me from that world into the slow-paced world of the pastorate. Yea, right! That first part of my life was, merely, a boot camp that prepared me for the second part of my life—the pastorate. Trust me on this: that first part of my life was a piece of cake, compared to the second part. This past Saturday morning, I was listening to a Jewish Rabbi preach, and somewhere in his message he said (pointing to his thick brown hair), “See these gray hairs! This is what being a Rabbi will do to you.” I wanted to stand up and say, “See my altogether white hair? This is what being a pastor will do for you” but I kept quiet.
When I reached the ripe old age of 65, something significant happened: These words of Jesus (John 19:30) jumped off the page at me (though completely out of context): IT IS FINISHED! As I read those words in their context, this became very clear to me: The man who had the most important, demanding task ever given to anyone, the man, whose task it was to carry out, precisely, every detail of His Father’s plan of redemption, and to do so at the exactly the right time, had uttered the most astonishing words I had ever heard—IT IS FINISHED. No loose ends, no unfinished business, nothing left to do; His work was finished—perfectly and completely.
The Scriptures tell us that He, then, sat down at His Father’s right hand (after the resurrection, of course). I want to tell you that He did so, not because He was tired, or be-hind in His business, or running late, but because His work was finished. “. . . but He, having offered one sacrifice for sins for all time, sat down at the right hand of God” (Hebrews 10:12).
At that ripe old age of 65 (I am now 67), I decided it was time for me to take Him at His Word, to learn from Him, and never again to live my life, as if He needed me to help Him finish His work, to never again live my life, as if He somehow needed me to wrap us His loose ends. In other words, it dawned upon me, that only a few things are important, really only one (words that Jesus spoke to Martha), so I chose to SLOW DOWN, to cast off most of what I thought was important, especially, the “living according to the expectations of others” part, and to spend huge amounts of time doing what most consider a waste—sitting at His feet, listening to His Word, and resting in His finished work.
At first, this was very difficult because I had been programmed for a different modus operandi (sometimes, it is still difficult because of what I perceive to be the expectations of others, and my desire to please them!); however, I am getting much better at it, and, to be sure, I highly recommend it to you.
Listen up: YOU are not the world’s savior, not even close. If you should drop dead in the next ten minutes, life would not skip even one beat. God really does NOT need either of us to help Him finish His plan, or to get everyone saved. Get off the treadmill! I have never known a treadmill to take anyone, anywhere, except to exhaustion.
The fact is this: God does not need you or me! He can get along quite nicely without either of us. It is our neighbor that needs us, but most of us are too exhausted to be of any benefit to him; consequently, most of what we do for him is done with an attitude that probably doesn’t pass muster. You think about that—

On the Death of Ted Kennedy

August 29, 2009

Dear Fellow Travelers,
Over the past couple of days, I have watched portions of Ted Kennedy’s various memorial services, along with a portion the funeral mass this morning. As I write these words, the hearse, that is transporting his remains to his gravesite near his brothers in Arlington National Cemetery, is about to reach its destination.
Let me cut to the chase: Ted did not “pass,” he died, as in graveyard dead. He will not show up for work in the US Senate on Monday morning, or Tuesday, for that matter. Contrary to popular opinion, we did not lose him, as we know where he is—standing before The Holy God of the Universe. He might have been known as the Lion of the Senate, but The One before whom he now stands is known as the Lion of the Tribe of Judah.
Again, contrary to popular, Roman Catholic opinion, the Virgin Mary will prove inadequate for his entrance into the Kingdom of God; contrary to popular, political opinion, having served 47 years in the US Senate, will prove to be 3 years short of enough to get him a pass (just kidding, just kidding; it really takes 51 years!); contrary to popular liberal opinion, his being an “excellent” legislator, will count for nothing; and contrary to popular, military opinion, his having reached the rank of PFC in the US Army won’t help him, even one iota. The fact that thousands of people (mostly liberals) lined the streets today in his honor, did not impress the Lion of the Tribe of Judah one whit. The fact that all the TV networks, from ABC to XYZ, including Fox News, not to mention CNN, preempted virtually every other news item to showcase this historical event, did not impress the Lion of the Tribe of Judah, not at all.
You see, Ted’s days of running for political office are over; never again will his fate be determined by the number of votes he receives. Majorities make no difference for him now. The opinions of others are meaningless. Only one opinion matters, and it is the opinion of the Lion of the Tribe of Judah.
What matters, is not if Ted knows Him, but if He knows Ted. What matters, is not if Ted was a member of the Roman Catholic Church, but if Jesus has included him in the Body of Christ (and there is a difference!). It matters not how “good” his friends deemed him to be; what matters is that God is The Good God.
This is what really matters: When Jesus died on the cross, did He include Ted in that death? I have no idea, but I do know that THAT is what matters; otherwise, Ted has no hope, none whatsoever.
Oh, I know what some of you are thinking: “Mac, you know that Jesus included Ted in His death on the cross; you know that He died for Ted’s sins! All Ted had to do was raise his hand when the priest gave the invitation, and, thereby, receive the gift of eternal life!” JUST FOR THE RECORD: No, I do NOT know that!
Again, and JUST FOR THE RECORD: If Ted Kennedy is in the Kingdom of God, he is because of what Jesus has done, NOT because of what Ted has done (or not done, for that matter), and, certainly, not because of all the “good” things that have been said about him, and for sure not because of the Virgin Mary.
As a reminder: funerals are for the living, not the dead, so they don’t even help.

PS: You and I are in the same “boat.” Our only hope is in Jesus—the Lion of the Tribe of Judah—and that is a good thing, a very good thing, because He is full of grace and mercy; albeit, very just.

On Practicing Righteousness

August 27, 2009

Dear Fellow Travelers,
This is what Jesus said: “Beware of practicing your righteousness before men to be noticed by them; otherwise, you have no reward with your Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 6:1 NASB). In other words, self-righteousness, the kind we typically practice before men to be seen by them, the kind the scribes and Pharisees practiced in an effort to please God, regardless of how “self-righteous” it might be, is nothing but puffed-up flesh, whose end is death—eternal death.
As you remember, this passage immediately follows that portion of Jesus’ “Sermon on the Mount,” where he dealt with the practice of righteousness. Listen to what He said in that sermon: “For I say to you, that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you shall not enter the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:20 NASB). If you had been among the crowd of people who heard that sermon, you would have immediately concluded that no one, not even the scribes and Pharisees, would ever enter the kingdom of heaven. You would have also missed Jesus’ point—completely.
They knew that they could not best the scribes and Pharisees, when it came to righteousness, which, certainly, precluded them as candidates for the kingdom of heaven, and they also heard that, even the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees was not good enough [unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees], which, also, eliminated them as candidates. We know that the scribes and Pharisees worked very hard to keep the Law, and for good reason—doing so was (in their minds) their “ticket to ride.” Paul even made this claim about himself, as a Pharisee: “. . . as to the righteousness which is in the Law, [I was] found blameless” (Philippians 3:6b NASB). As you can see, according to Jesus, the entire lot of them flunked His test! I wonder, though, how many of them caught His drift, and realized their need for a Redeemer, a Savior, One who could do for them, what they could never do for themselves? When your goal is to reach the wrong standard, you are in deep trouble!
In my opinion, Jesus made it very clear that self-righteousness, the righteousness which is found in the Law, is, simply, unrighteousness. To be sure, the scribes and Pharisees had a very different opinion (which is why the wanted to kill Him!), as they sincerely believed that this “righteousness” was, indeed, ultimate righteousness. They truly believed that, when the Messiah returned, they would meet Him and pass the test of righteousness with flying (pun intended, well maybe not!) colors.
Unfortunately (to use the words of Jesus, from this same sermon), the light that was in them was darkness and, consequently, the darkness was great. “If therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is that darkness” (Matthew 6:23b NASB). Hmmmm-
From what I have been able to see, attempts at self-righteousness still prevail, even today. Sadly, the church continues today to preach the message of the scribes and Pharisee, of Jesus’ day. Jesus’ message, however, is the same: “For I say to you, that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you shall not enter the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:20 NASB).
SUGGESTION: RUN TO JESUS, AS FAST AS YOU CAN! TAKE HIS YOKE UPON YOU, AND LEARN OF HIM, FOR HIS YOKE IS EASY AND HIS BURDEN IS LIGHT! [Compare that to the message of the scribes and Pharisees!]
By the way, please “Beware of practicing your righteousness before men to be noticed by them; otherwise, you have no reward with your Father who is in heaven”

What is Normal About Following Jesus?

August 25, 2009

Dear Fellow Travelers,
To be sure, I cannot define “normal” for anything, but I do know this: the definition that most would give for the normal life of a believer is a far-cry from the truth. In the vast majority of instances, the message of the gospel is distorted in such a way, as to make it attractive to the masses, in much the same way, as the Ford Motor Company presents its line of vehicles—a far-cry from the way Paul presented the gospel. His mission was to preach the gospel—the real, unvarnished, gospel, and to leave the rest to God.
In my opinion, you will not find Paul tailoring the gospel in such a way as to popularize it, to make it appealing to the masses. You will not find him offering one thing for one group and another for a different group. It was very simple for him: one Lord, one Faith, and one Baptism.
Furthermore, he knew quite well that God’s elect are attracted to the truth and re-pulsed by the crowd-attracting antics of the church. The fact is God designed it this way. We either embrace the one, true gospel, or we do not, and that is that.
The following passage gives us a bird’s eye view of Paul’s opinion of what is “normal,” of what can normally be expected by those who are followers of Christ: “But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the surpassing greatness of the power may be of God and not from ourselves; we are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not despairing; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying about in the body the dying of Jesus, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body. For we who live are constantly being delivered over to death for Jesus’ sake, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh” (2 Corinthians 4:7-11; NASB; emphasis added).
If that doesn’t provide you with sufficient evidence, then listen to this: “. . . in far more labors, in far more imprisonments, beaten times without number, often in danger of death. Five times I received from the Jews thirty-nine lashes. Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, a night and a day I have spent in the deep. I have been on frequent journeys, in dangers from rivers, dangers from robbers, dangers from my countrymen, dangers from the Gentiles, dangers in the city, dangers in the wilderness, dangers on the sea, dangers among false brethren; I have been in labor and hardship, through many sleepless nights, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure” (2 Corinthians 11:23b-27 NASB; emphasis added).
There is simply nothing about the passages that remind me of the “If you will just come to Jesus, everything will be fine” notion of what is normal for those of us, whose faith is in Jesus for eternal life. There is absolutely nothing in these passages that entice me to want to join Paul’s “club”; in fact, had I known this in the beginning, I would have probably tried to run the other way!
If we should be honest, we would have to admit that we cannot get beyond the first few lines of the first passage [“But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the sur-passing greatness of the power may be of God and not from ourselves . . .”]. The fact is we want the power to be from ourselves, not from God; we want to be the one who is in charge; we want to have the power within ourselves.
Listen, now, to these words: “And because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, for this reason, to keep me from exalting myself, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, a messenger from Satan to buffet me—to keep me from exalting myself! Concerning this I entreated the Lord three times that it might depart from me. And he has said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is perfected in weakness.’ Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, that the power of Christ may dwell in me. Therefore I am content with weakness, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ’s sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong’ (2 Corinthians 12:7-10 NASB; emphasis added).
Whoopee! Bring on the crowds! Give the invitation! Throw out the net!! Sing “Just As I Am”! The masses are running to the cross! Yea, right!
Yes, I realize that most want to hear a different story, the one that says, “Come to Jesus and everything will be A-OK, but the fact is this: God never intended the gospel for the masses; He never intended for salvation to be marketed as a product for everyone; He never intended for the preaching of the gospel to be done in such a way, as to imply that it can be accommodated to everyone’s pleasure and belief. He intended the gospel for every-one who believes (namely, His elect), to the Jew first, and then the Greek (Gentile).
Please allow me to tell you what will be true, if you should trust Jesus, as your Redeemer, Messiah, Savior:
1. God will have acted first because He will have had to raise the dead.
2. God will have already punished your sins, in Jesus, to the full requirement of the Law.
3. They will have forgiven you—forever forgiven you.
4. He will place you in perfect and permanent right-standing with the Triune Godhead.
5. Jesus will be your eternal guarantee of the New Covenant.
6. God will seat you at His right hand in the Most Holy Place, in Jesus.
7. He will give you the privilege and honor of trusting you life to Him—absolutely and completely.
8. He will provide you with enough adversity to demonstrate to you that His grace is sufficient for you, that His strength is make perfect in your weakness.
9. He will make you lie down in green pastures, lead you beside still waters, relentlessly restore your soul, securely lead you in paths of righteousness, and He will safely journey with you through the many valleys that are overcast with the shadow of death.
10. He will require that you walk by faith, which will scare the wits out of you—guaranteed!

Things to Ponder

August 24, 2009

Dear Fellow Travelers,

Some things to keep in mind from 2 Timothy 1 & 2, as we journey through these perilous times:
1. The significance of retaining the standard of sound words [See 2 Timothy 1:13]. What is the standard for sound words? Truth spoken in love.
2. The power of guarding the treasure which has been entrusted to you [see 2 Timothy 1:14]. What is this treasure? The one, true gospel of Jesus Christ.
3. The benefit of being strong in the grace that is in Jesus [see 2 Timothy 2:1]. What is this benefit? You cease striving and rest in the glorious truth that Jesus alone deter-mines your destiny.
4. The blessing of suffering hardship, as a good soldier[see 2 Timothy 2:3]. What is this blessing? You don’t waste precious time being entangled in the hardships of life and, thereby, allowing them to distract you from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Jesus.
5. The humility of remembering Jesus [see 2 Timothy 2:8]. What is this humility? It is the humility that come from realizing that life is about Him, not me; the ultimate humility, indeed.
6. The freedom of accepting the trustworthy statement [see 2 Timothy 2:11-13]. What is this freedom? It is the freedom to accept the truth that you no longer have to strive to become who you already are, who God has declared you to be.
7. The wisdom of not wrangling about words [see 2 Timothy 2:14]. What is this wisdom? It is the wisdom that allows you to keep the main thing, the main thing, thereby, preventing you from playing into the hands of the enemy.
8. The advantage of diligence, especially in studying God’s Word [see 2 Timothy 2:15]. What is this advantage? You are equipped to divide the Word of Truth, without the fear of being shamed, as the result of inaccurately dividing it—leading others into er-ror.
9. The common sense of avoiding worldly and empty chatter [see 2 Timothy 2:16-17]. What is this common sense? It is being astute enough not to get caught-up in criticizing and judging others, especially your leaders.
10. The joy of standing firm on this firm foundation—the Lord knows who are His [see 2 Timothy 2:19]. What is this joy? It is the inner ecstasy that comes from knowing that I will be able to recognize His voice, even in the clamor of life, knowing that He will never lose me, knowing that I will always find myself in the hollow of His hand, and knowing that I will never perish.

“The Lord will deliver me from every evil deed, and will bring me safely to His heavenly kingdom; to Him be the glory forever and ever. Amen” (2 Timothy 4:18 NASB).

PS: I grew up on the small town of Reynolds, GA. Hollis and I were best friends, and continue to be best of friends today. Today, he turned 67 and caught up with me! Let’s everyone wish my dear friend a Happy and Wonderful Birthday!!

Offended? Probably a Good Thing!

Mac's Perspective on the Intricacies of God’s Amazing Grace

August 21, 2009
Dear Fellow Travelers,
It continues to amaze me that after so many years of reading and studying the Bible, I still come upon lines that for some reason have escaped my notice. This is one of them: “And after He called the multitude to Him, He said to them, ‘Hear, and understand. Not what enters into the mouth defiles the man, but what proceeds out of the mouth, this defiles the man.’ Then the disciples came and said to Him, ‘Do You know that the Pharisees were of-fended when they heard this statement’” (Matthew 15:10-12)?
This is the part of that passage that has escaped my notice: “Then the disciples came and said to Him, ‘Do You know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this statement.’” You might be thinking, “So what?” but in my mind, this is worthy of note for several reasons.
In the first place, did the disciples really think that this had escaped Jesus’ notice? Surely, they knew better, but, apparently, they did not; otherwise, why did they ask Him about it? At any rate this presents me with a “golden” opportunity to remind us of something we should already know—NOTHING ESCAPES HIS NOTICE—nothing, that is, except our sins. Oh, He did notice them—BIG TIME NOTICE THEM—but that was then and this is now. Listen to these words: “And the Holy Spirit also bears witness to us; for after saying, ’This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, says the Lord; I will put My laws upon their heart, and upon their mind I will write them,’ He then says, ‘And their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more.’” (Hebrews 10:16-17 NASB). Do you realize that, ever since the cross, neither God, nor Jesus, have noticed your sins (if, of course, you are one of God’s children)? Now you know not only why the gospel is called GOOD NEWS, but also why Jesus said, “IT IS FINISHED!”
In the second place, did the disciples really think that Jesus gave a “flying hoot” about His having offended the Pharisees with His statement of truth? Just to set the record straight: He did not give even one “flying hoot” about it, nor did He lose a wink’s worth of sleep over it. You can rest assured that He did not apologize for speaking the truth; not then, not ever! And this gives me a “golden opportunity” to remind us of something else we al-ready know: If you are teaching the gospel, the one true gospel, people will be offended, and they will ultimately crucify you, if given half a chance; however, if you are teaching some man-centered heresy, they will honor you, praise you, flock to you, and kiss your feet. Now you know why so few teach the one, true gospel; if not, I will tell you—crucifixion ain’t no fun; very few are attracted to it—very few, indeed. Now you also know why Peter called Jesus a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense (see 1 Peter 2:8).
By the way, stop apologizing for speaking the truth, just be sure you are speaking it love (per His opinion, not the opinion of your listeners).

Impossible-to-follow-instructions!

August 20, 2009

Dear Fellow Travelers,
Have you ever noticed how often Jesus gave people specific instructions, obviously intending for them to be obeyed, even though He knew they could not possibly comply? Take this, as an example: “And as Jesus passed on from there, two blind men followed Him, crying out, and saying, ‘Have mercy on us, Son of David!’ And after He had come into the house, the blind men came up to Him, and Jesus said to them, ‘Do you believe that I am able to do this?’ They said to Him, ‘Yes, Lord.’ Then He touched their eyes, saying, ‘Be it done to you according to your faith.’ And their eyes were opened. And Jesus sternly warned them, saying, ‘See here, let no one know about this’” (Matthew 9:27-31)!
Could someone please tell me how Jesus expected these two blind me not to let any-one know what had happened to them? I can see it now: one of them went home, walked into the den and started watching TV, pointing at the characters, laughing his head off, and his mother walks in and never even notices. The other man returned to his job at the local nursery, and began admiring all the flowers, “oo-ing” and “ah-ing,” but his boss is completely oblivious. Yea, right! Or better yet, the wife of one of them meets him for lunch, and he tells her how pretty her new shoes are, but it never dawns upon her that he can see. Sure! You can rest assured that these two men, in obedience to Jesus’ instructions, continued walking along the streets, tapping their canes, and begging for money. [You really don’t believe that, do you?]
Actually, the next verse gives credibility to my thesis: “But they went out, and spread the news about Him in all that land” (vs. 31; italics added). There was no way these men were going to follow Jesus’ instructions; in fact, they could not. Doing so, would be about like a woman, 8 ½ months into a pregnancy, hiding the fact that she is expecting a child. I mean, there are some things we, simply, cannot hide, regardless of Jesus’ instructions, and He knows it. So, why does He give such impossible-to-follow instructions?
There are many other examples; actually, too many to list in this brief article, but here are a few of them:
1. “Love you enemies . . .” (Matthew 5:44a NASB). Oh, I am certain that you are doing a fine job of this, but before you admit it, wait until you meet a real enemy.
2. “Beware of practicing your righteousness before men to be noticed by them; . . .” (Matthew 6:1a NASB). I feel sure that you would never be guilty of doing this; you are much too humble, even to consider doing anything to be noticed by anyone, but, then, you might (I say might) attend a funeral visitation so the family won’t think ill of you.
3. “Do not be afraid any longer, only believe” (Mark 5:36b NASB). Just to remind you: Jairus, the synagogue official, had just learned that his little daughter had died, when Jesus spoke these instructions to him. He twisted his right ear, punched his nose, grunted three times, and his fear left on the morning train! Yea, right! I am betting that Jairus’ fear didn’t leave until his daughter sat up in the bed and smiled. You can tell me all day long that nothing ever happens that scares the wits out of you, but I am going to tell you that I do not believe you, nor do I think you have mastered these instructions. Why would Jesus tell anyone not to be afraid, only believe, when it is apparent that the earth is about to fall into a black hole?
4. “And when it was evening, the disciples came to Him, saying, ‘The place is desolate, and the time is already past; so send the multitudes away, that they may go into the villages and buy food for themselves.’ But Jesus said to them, “They do not need to go away; you give them something to eat” (Matthew 14:15-16 NASB)! My wife would shoot me, if I should call her at suppertime, telling her that I was on the way home with two guests, not to mention ten; only God knows what she would do, if that number were 5,000! One only needs to read the next verse, to learn of the disciple’s frustration: “And they said to Him, ‘We have here only five loaves and two fish” (vs.17)! The passage doesn’t say this, but I am sure they thought, “How do you expect us to feed this crowd, when we have no McDonalds, no grocery store, no any-thing but these few fish and this soggy bread?”

If you want more examples, look them up for yourself, but in the process, accept the fact, that most of what you think you know about Jesus is evidence that you really know very little—very little indeed. This just might be the best thing I have ever learned; to be sure, it removed the pressure of my having to make Him fit into my ideas of truth, into my ideas of how He should live His life.
Now, why did Jesus give us so many impossible-to-follow instructions? Isn’t it obvious? Apart from Him we can do nothing—absolutely, positively nothing—and He wants to be sure that we realize it. We can’t heal the sick, raise the dead, feed the hungry, clothe the naked, encourage the downhearted, give sight to the blind, love our enemies, treat others as we want to be treated, pray, teach, fast, preach the gospel, cast out demons, or even inhale our next breath—we simply cannot do these things. If they get done, it will be His doing, not ours—not in any way, shape, form, or fashion. We just need to get over our-selves and accept the fact most of what Jesus told us to do, He never expected us to do; instead, He wanted to teach us our desperate need for Him, not to mention our desperate need for Him to do for us what we cannot do for ourselves.
What kind of student have you been?

What Pap Smears, The Quadratic Equation, and The Greek Alphabet Have in Common

August 19, 2009
Dear Fellow Travelers,
Many years ago, actually one year shy of a half-century ago, at the close of the first day of what was a rather intimidating class at Asbury College, New Testament Greek, my professor, Miss Ruth Fess, said, “Boys, I will expect you to be able to write and speak the Greek alphabet by this time tomorrow morning.” I immediately looked at my watch and the second hand was moving faster than I had ever seen it move, and so was my pulse. Well, heck, I was from a small town in middle Georgia, where to my knowledge not one person had even heard of Greek, or Greece for that matter, so she might as well have asked me to be able to explain the difference between a pap smear and the quadratic equation.
Have you ever noticed how some people seem to be gifted at expecting more out of us, than we think we can possibly give (italics on purpose and with purpose)? Jesus was no exception—still isn’t—in fact, He is probably chief among those so gifted. The Sermon on the Mount is a good example. Listen to these words from that sermon: “Do not be anxious then, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘With what shall we clothe ourselves’ For all these things the Gentiles eagerly seek; for you heavenly Father knows that you need all these things” (Matthew 6:31 NASB; italics added). In other words, Jesus is telling us not to be anxious about what we shall eat, drink, or wear BECAUSE our heavenly Father knows that we need these things. Well, that’s easy, IF you have food on your table, water in your faucet, and clothes in your closet; otherwise, it is asking much more than any of us think we can give.
The truth is I am not anxious about what I will eat for lunch or supper today, or tomorrow, for that matter; neither am I anxious about what I shall drink in the foreseeable future; and I am certainly not anxious about what I am going to wear, even to church on Sunday. However, let me be perfectly clear: that would NOT be the case, if I had no food on my table, water in my cup, or clothes in my closet, AND, I might add, I seriously doubt that your telling me that I am more important to God than a bird or a lily would help reduce my anxiety, by any measurable amount. [I might be telling you more about this preacher than I should, but you already know that I am old and just a bit “touched” in the head.]
The next time you have the opportunity, spend a few minutes with the single mom, a Christian, who has lost her job and sees no hope for finding one in the near future, and tell her not to be anxious about what she and her children will eat, drink, or wear tomorrow (or the next day for that matter) because her heavenly Father already knows that she needs these things, and He will, therefore, provide them for her [just don’t put your promise on a calendar!] When you finish, please let me know her response.
Of this I am certain, her anxiety will decrease much more quickly, if you should tell her not to be anxious about what they will eat, drink, or wear, because your heavenly Father already knows that she has need of these things and He has instructed YOU to provide for them, until such time as He tells you to stop. Hmmm . . .
Now back to my point: What was Jesus thinking when He told us not to be anxious about these things? Was He really expecting us to meet this standard, other than when we are rather certain we have on hand enough food, drink, and clothing for the immediate future?
This is the truth: When our resources are depleted, even knowing that our heavenly Father is well-aware, doesn’t eliminate our anxiety, especially, if we are of the mindset that He spends more time angry with us, than He does in being pleased with us (actually, that mindset increases our anxiety). Sadly, this is the mindset of most of God’s children!
For clarity, this mindset looks something like this: Had I been living a better life, I would not have lost my job and, therefore, I would not be in this mess. I know God is angry with me and I cannot really blame Him. The reason He is not meeting my needs is two-fold: (1) I have sinned; and (2) I don’t have enough faith. In a nutshell, (per vs. 33) I am in this mess because, obviously, seeking His kingdom and His righteousness has not the priority of my life. I have really tried to do my best, but, obviously, I have failed. Now, I am so consumed with trying to figure out how to feed and clothe my children, that I cannot even focus on my relationship with Him. Anxious? You bet I am, and it is getting worse by the minute!
For even greater clarity, the mindset often looks like this: “I have been obedient to God; I tithe, I pray, I give to the poor, I visit those in prison, I wear my hair in a bun, I drive a black car, I do not smoke, drink, or cuss (well, maybe occasionally!), I never commit adultery, and I attend church every time the doors open (except in the case of an emergency), SO will someone please tell me what I did to deserve losing my job. Why me, Lord? Surely, You do not expect me to be free of anxiety; after all, I deserve the privilege!
Hmmm. Need I remind you of what He said BEFORE He warned us not to be anxious? Well, listen up: “Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they” (vs. 26); “Observe how the lilies of the field grow; they toil not nor do they spin, yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory did not clothe himself like one of these” (vs.28b). Surely, these incredible words calm your anxiety! No? Gosh, what will it take? Oh, I know what you are thinking: I am neither a bird, nor a lily, and I am certainly not Solomon.
I learned today that a friend, who was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease about 6 months ago, learned about a week ago that she also has breast cancer. To add insult to injury, both her daughter and her mother have had to deal with the very same illness. I called her to let her know not to be anxious because her heavenly Father knows what she needs and He will provide for her, according to His riches in glory through Christ Jesus. I told her that she was much more important to God than any bird I have ever seen, and, certainly, more important than all the lilies of the field, put together. [I didn’t really tell her any of that, but had I done so, I would have been telling her the truth!]
By the end of our conversation, she was dancing with joy and anxiety free; in fact, she threw all of her Xanax into the toilet, flushed them down the drain, and called her oncologist to tell him to forget the upcoming surgery.
If you believe that, then you will probably also believe that I slept like a baby the night before I was to write and speak the Greek alphabet in front of Miss Ruth Fess [She spoke and wrote 13 languages—fluently!], who was so gracious, that she gave us a “zero,” if we failed to perform perfectly!
By the way, I can still write and speak the Greek alphabet--perfectly!

Metastatic, Esophageal Cancer and Faith

August 17, 2009
Dear Fellow Travelers,
Several weeks ago, the father of one the members of the church I pastor was told by his physician that he had metastatic, esophageal cancer [not good by the stretch of any-one’s imagination!]. Yesterday, he visited our congregation.
Presently, I am preaching through Paul’s letter to the church at Galatia, aka Galatians. As you might imagine, I am pressing, rather hard, Paul’s thesis that justification is through faith, not by works of the Law. In my “pressing,” I have made it very clear (I trust) that “living by faith” scares the wits out of me, and it does because all-too-often it doesn’t seem to work for me (I italicized “seem” because I know that things are not always as they seem). In some areas, I do rather well; for example, I went to sleep last night, having complete faith, that the sun would rise this morning, and lo and behold, it did! In fact, I am trusting that it will set this afternoon—no problem. When it comes, however, to things like being healed from metastatic, esophageal cancer, faith scares the wits out of me, especially if it means, like some contend, that all I need is enough faith—forget modern medicine. Truthfully, when it comes to someone being healed from metastatic, esophageal cancer, even modern medicine doesn’t do much to increase my faith.
Have you ever noticed that God seems to enjoy humbling “cocky” preachers? If you haven’t, I have. It is one thing to boldly preach “if you just have enough faith,” God will heal your illness, raise the dead, feed the hungry, and free the imprisoned, but it something else to do that, when someone is sitting, not fifteen feet in front of you, having just been diagnosed with cancer, and really wanting to be healed. You can rest assured that my comments to him were far-removed from my telling him, if he only has enough faith, God will heal him (I did not want God to have to humble me; still do not!). Actually, I told him (and the rest of my congregation), that living by faith scares the wits out of me. I didn’t say this but I will now: if you would admit the truth, living by faith scares the wits out of you, too; well, maybe not yet, but keep on hanging around and it will.
Anyway, I asked our visitor if he wanted to say anything, and by golly, he did! This is what he said: “When my doctor gave me my diagnosis, I went to Jesus and said, ‘Jesus, I cannot handle this, so I am giving it to you.”
This is what most of us would have said (especially, yours truly), “Jesus, I cannot handle this, so I am giving it to you, but . . .”
This is what genuine faith would say: “Jesus, I cannot handle this, so I am giving it to you.” In other words, I am so confident in your desire and ability to do what is best for me, that I offer no suggestions; instead, I choose to rest in who you are, and to walk where you lead me, knowing that You are the most practical person ever to live. (Yes, that scares the wits out of me!)
This is what fear would say: “Jesus, I have so much faith in you, that I will skip modern medicine (not see the doctor) and ask everyone to pray for my healing” (that really does scare the WITS out of me!). God did give us a mind, not to mention modern medicine, for some reason!
Now, having laid that groundwork, surely you know that your physical life will end (it is appointed once for man to die . . .) sometimes in the near (relative to eternity) future, and surely you believe that where you spend eternity is significantly important, as in very significantly important. BUT, do you realize that your spending eternity with Jesus in the Kingdom of Heaven is determined, not by anything you do or do not do, but in what Jesus has done for you? Do you realize that you are being asked to place your confidence for eternal life in One you cannot see or touch? Do you realize that faith is the substance of what you are hoping for and the evidence of what you cannot see? Scary, huh?
The story goes something like this: God so loved the world, that He chose to leave Heaven and become a man by being born of a virgin womb; to live as the son of a Jewish carpenter for some 30+ years; to begin an iterate preaching ministry, that was very antagonistic to the leaders of Israel—both the religious and political leaders; to spend His time with sinners of all varieties, giving sight to the blind, health to the sick, and giving life to the dead; to willingly die the horrendous death of crucifixion; to be placed in a borrowed tomb; to rise from the dead on the third; and finally, after some 50 days, to ascend back to Heaven—all to redeem sinners, such as you and I, and, thereby, to give us eternal life.
If you believe that story, then, believing that God will heal metastatic, esophageal cancer is a piece of cake! On the surface, one would think that anyone who believes either, is nuts, as in “mental hospital nuts,” but, for some reason, we tend to forget, that one can believe neither, UNLESS God gives him the faith to do so, and when He does, that one can believe nothing else, regardless of the opinions of others.
“Therefore, being always of good courage, and knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord—for we walk by faith, not by sight—we are of good courage, I say, and prefer rather to be absent from the body and to be at home with the Lord” (2 Corinthians 5:6-8 NASB; italics added).
Somehow, I think this is the mindset of the man who visit GCF this Sunday.

The Kingdom of Heaven is Like a Dragnet

August 15, 2009
Dear Fellow Travelers,
This is what Jesus said: “. . . the kingdom of heaven is like a dragnet cast into the sea, and gathering fish of every kind; and when it was filled, they drew it up on the beach; and they sat down, and gathered the good fish into containers, but the bad they threw away. So it will be at the end of the age; the angels shall come forth, and take out the wicked from among the righteous, and will cast them into the furnace of fire; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Have you understood these things” (Matthew 13:49-51a NASB).
Please take a minute to reread these words of Jesus, as they contain this very important and timely message: not everyone, who is caught in the dragnet of evangelism, is among the righteous—far from it. Notice that the dragnet gathers fish of every kind—both good fish and bad fish—but there will be a day of reckoning, even of weeping and gnashing of teeth, when the “good fish” will be eternally separated from the “bad fish.”
Notice, too, that there is no indication that the righteous and unrighteous should somehow live separately; in fact, the indication is that we will remain together until the end of the age, until the “day of reckoning.” Obviously, Jesus practiced what He preached, as he was labeled a glutton and a winebibber, as one who socialized with sinners.
It is also important to note that angels will do the separating, not the good fish! In other words, it is not the job of the “good fish” to judge who is and who is not among the righteous. Thankfully, God left in more capable hands! If you are already in this business, I suggest that you hang a “closed” sign on the front door, and get out of the business-sooner, rather than later.
As you can see (though most want to ignore it!), the penalty for being a “bad fish” is rather severe, albeit, very just (which you will not see, unless you are one of the “good fish” who has eyes to see). Even the thought of being cast into the furnace of fire should be motivation enough, but God’s elect are not motivated into His Kingdom by fear, or anything else for that matter; instead, they are “caught” in His dragnet.
Now, listen up: Paul in Galatians, chapter one, made it very, very clear that there is but one gospel—the gospel he preached—and he made it just as clear that, if anyone (including Paul, even angels) should preach a gospel (which is really no gospel) contrary to the one he preached, he should be accursed (eternally separated from God!). From what I can see, this means that it is very important, life and death important, that each of us be certain that we believe the very same gospel Paul preached.
With that I am going out on a limb and make this prediction: At the end of the age, on the “day of reckoning,” when the “good fish” are separated from the “bad fish,” when the righteous are separated from the unrighteous, two things will be obvious: (1) everyone of the righteous will believe the very same gospel that Paul preached; (2) the unrighteous, regardless of what they believe, will be cast into THE furnace of fire.
Now I have two questions:
1. Do you understand these things (His disciples said they did, but I doubt it!)?
2. Do you believe the gospel that Paul preached, the very same gospel that he preached (if you aren’t sure, I highly recommend that you take the time to be sure, as it is a life and death matter—no fooling!)?

“Take My yoke (teaching) upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart; and you shall find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and my burden is light” (Matthew 11:29-30).

Love's Extravagance

August 14, 2009
Dear Fellow Travelers,
Most of you are very familiar with the story of Jesus’ visit to the home of Mary & Martha (Luke 10:38-42), the one where Martha was busy preparing supper, while Mary was sitting at His feet, doing (according to Jesus) the one thing that was necessary (sitting at His feet is really does rank that high on the list of things that are necessary!). As you re-member, Martha got a bit “testy.”
The characters in the following story are the same, with the addition of Lazarus, the brother of Mary & Martha, and, for some reason, Judas Iscariot. Listen carefully: “Jesus, therefore, six days before the Passover, came to Bethany where Lazarus was, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. So they made Him a supper there, and Martha was serving, but Lazarus was one of those reclining at the table with Him. Mary therefore took a pound of very costly perfume of pure nard, and anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped His feet with her hair, and the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. But Judas Iscariot, one of His disciples, who was intending to betray Him, said, ‘Why was this perfume not sold for three hundred denarii, and given to poor people?’ (John 12:1-5 NASB).
It seems that Mary was much like John, in that she preferred to be as physically close to Jesus, as she possibly could; obviously, Lazarus was one of Jesus’ strongest supporters, as not too many people could lay claim to having been raised from the dead; Martha loved Him dearly, but she, for some reason, thought He was impressed with her serving abilities; Judas, although Jesus had chosen him as one of His disciples, was a crook, who loved money much more than he loved Jesus.
Enter Mary with a pound of very costly perfume, nard to be precise, that was worth an amount equal to roughly a year’s wages. By anyone’s stretch of imagination, it was valuable, and Judas had his “snake eyes” riveted on it, already trying to figure out a way to confiscate it, when the unthinkable happened—Mary broke it open and gently, lovingly poured it over Jesus’ feet, and then wiped His feet with her hair.
Judas was hyperventilating, barely able to constrain himself at the thought of this lost opportunity, as the stench of his hypocrisy tried, futilely, to overcome the fragrance of the perfume that immediately filled the house. The Sacred and the profane met toe-to-toe, and the Sacred won, as the powerful, healing, redeeming, fragrance of extravagant love saturated the air. What followed, however, is beyond the pale of evil.
These revealing words fell like hot, acrid vomitus from Judas’ lips before he even had time to form them in his mouth: “Why was this perfume not sold for three hundred denarii, and given to poor people” (vs. 5)? In other words, “Why this terrible waste?”
It is heartbreaking, indeed, to think that Judas never knew the extravagance of love.
It is even more heartbreaking to think that he saw love’s extravagance as a waste.
Is your love extravagant?
His is, and then some!

“In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins” (1 John 4:10 NASB). Extravagant love, indeed, and, thankfully, nothing wasted!

On Mary Magdalen

August 13, 2009

Dear Fellow Travelers,

“It was in the month of June when I saw Him for the first time. He was walking in the wheat field when I passed by with my handmaidens, and He was alone. The rhythm of His step was different from other men’s, and the movement of His body was like naught I had seen before. Men do not pace the earth in that manner. And even now I do not know whether He walked fast or slow. My handmaidens pointed their fingers at Him and spoke in shy whispers to one another. And I stayed my steps for a moment, and raised my hand to hail Him. But He did not turn His face, and He did not look at me. And I hated Him. I was swept back into myself, and I was as cold as if I had been in a snow-drift. And I shivered. That night I beheld Him in my dreaming; and they told me afterward that I screamed in my sleep and was restless upon my bed.
It was in the month of August that I saw Him again, through my window. He was sit-ting in the shadow of the cypress tree across my garden, and He was as still as if He had been carved out of stone, like the statues in Antioch and other cities of the North Country. And my slave, the Egyptian, came to me and said, ‘That man is here again. He is sitting there across your garden.’ And I gazed at Him, and my soul quivered within me, for He was beautiful. His body was single and each part seemed to love every other part. Then I clothed myself with raiment of Damascus, and I left my house and walked towards Him. Was it my aloneness, or was it His fragrance, that drew me to Him? Was it a hunger in my eyes that desired comeliness, or was it His beauty that sought the light of my eyes? Even now I do not know.
I walked to Him with my scented garments and my golden sandals, the sandals the Roman captain had given me, even these sandals. And when I reached Him, I said, ‘Good-morrow to you.’ And He said, ‘Good-morrow to you, Miriam. And He looked at me, and His night-eyes saw me as no man had seem me. And suddenly I was as if naked, and I was shy. Yet He had only said, ‘Good-morrow to you.’
And then I said to Him, ‘Will you not come to my house?’ And He said, ‘Am I not al-ready in your house?’ I did not know what He meant then, but I know now.
And I said, ‘Will you not have wine and bread with me?’ And He said, ‘Yes, Miriam, but not now.’ Not now, not now, He said. And the voice of the sea was in those two words, and the voice of the wind and the trees. And when He said them unto me, life spoke to death. For mind you, my friend, I was dead. I was a woman who had divorced her soul. I was living apart from this self which you now see. I belonged to all men, and to none. They called me harlot, and a woman possessed of seven devils. I was cursed, and I was envied.
But when His dawn-eyes looked into my eyes all the stars of my night faded away, and I became Miriam, only Miriam, a woman lost to the earth she had known, and finding herself in new places.
. . . Then He stood up and looked at me even as the seasons look down upon the field, and He smiled. And He said again: ‘All men love you for themselves. I love you for yourself.’
And then He walked away.
. . . on that day the sunset of His eyes slew the dragon in me, and I became a wom-an, I became Miriam, . . .” [Kahlil Gibran, Jesus, The Son of Man (Alfred A Knopf, Inc., 1928), pp. 12-15.].

This was simply too good for you to miss!

Did Jesus Keep a Daily Journal?

August 11, 2009
Dear Fellow Travelers,
Yes, I know that my mind wanders into some strange places, and these are probably two of them, but have you ever wondered if Jesus kept a daily journal? Have you ever wondered why one of the books of the New Testament is not named “The Gospel According to Jesus?” To be sure, Paul was a good man, and what he wrote was inspired by the Holy Spirit, but I really wish Jesus could have slipped His own book into the Bible; it could have been “Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, and Jesus.” I’m betting it would have been read quite frequently and with much interest. I think He missed a good opportunity!
About His daily journal: What do you think are some of the things He would have written. I really do wonder about this! Do you think he would have been honest, or would He like, most of us, have been afraid that someone would find the journal, read it and publish their findings in the Jerusalem Daily Gossip? Oh, I know that most of you are scolding me for even suggesting that He might not have written the honest truth, but I don’t care, and I don’t because I believe there were some things that He wanted to keep to Himself. Anyway, I thought I would share some of the things I think He would have written in His journal, as I think His entries would surprise us.
4 Nisan: It is hot today, much too hot for me to be walking these dusty streets! How well I remember living with my Father in my other life; it was much better than this and much cooler. Thank goodness, I will be returning—soon!
5 Nisan: These Pharisees are driving me crazy with their self-righteous bigotry; truth is, I would much rather minister to the gluttons and drunks, at least they aren’t hypocritical! I had lunch with a young couple today; I hope her cooking improves; otherwise, her husband will be finding excuses to eat with his mama!
6 Nisan: I know I hand-picked Peter, so I can’t blame anyone but myself, but he embarrassed the daylights out of me today, as I watched him try to cast a demon out of some poor sap. I am afraid the sap is worse now, than before. Maybe Peter should spend more time fishing.
7 Nisan: The Spring flowers are really beautiful this year; I think I will pick some and leave them on Mary Magdalene’s doorsteps (I am really glad that Peter wasn’t available to cast out her demons!).
8 Nisan: Today I had lunch with a couple of drunks; the food wasn’t much, but the fellowship was some of the best. They were so honest, so open, and so hungry for truth, so much so that I called ahead to make reservations for them in my Father’s House. About 3:00 the news had spread and I was, immediately, labeled a winebibber and a glutton; I am certain that I will make the headlines tomorrow.
9 Nisan: It is as hot as Hell today, well not quite, but hot nonetheless, so I decided to take a dip in the Sea of Galilee, which proved to be a mistake. I had no sooner entered the water, when some women’s group, who were visiting the area, decided to take a dip, as well. They had not seen me, so they were stripping down to their undergarments and having a blast. I couldn’t believe my eyes, when that group of Pharisees showed up, as if they had been hiding in the shadows, waiting for the kill. I know for certain that I will make the headlines tomorrow—no doubt about it—and I already know how they will read: “Self Proclaimed Priest Enjoying Mixed Bathing!”
10 Nisan: Today, I stumbled upon a blind man, one who had been blind all of his life, and he was on up in age. I introduced myself to him, pretending to be a stranger from Capernaum, and asked him, if I could do anything for him. He didn’t want much, just to have his sight restored, but he had no idea that I could manage that for him. I squeezed a bit of juice from cactus plant and rubbed it on his eyes, then I asked him to slowly open his eyes, and when he did, the folks in Capernaum heard him shout, and that is the truth. I really enjoyed doing that for him; in fact, I called on ahead and made reservations for him in my Father’s House.
11 Nisan: In just a few days, I will be making my way to Golgotha. In some ways, I can hardly wait; in others ways, I could wait a long time. I know this is why I left my Father’s House, and I really want to accomplish His purpose for me; I just hope He knows what He is doing. Some will think I have an ace in the hole” but they don’t know what they are talking about. If my Father doesn’t come through, as He promised, I will be in one huge mess.
Go ahead and condemn me for making such assumptions, if you like. I never have been afraid to color outside the lines, anyway; in fact, I rather enjoy it. To be sure, Jesus colored outside the lines every time and all the time, and He, too, was condemned for it. I know He enjoyed it!
It would probably be good for you to relax a bit and do a little coloring outside the lines yourself. You might just be surprised at your creativity!

Faith or Fear?

August 10, 2009
Dear Fellow Travelers,
In my last perspective, I mentioned to you that living by faith scares the wits out of me most of the time, and it does because it requires waiting to see, and sometimes the wait can be quite long; in fact, sometimes we never “see” faith’s promise.
As a matter of comfort, Hebrews 11 gives us quite a list of people, rather significant people, who died without receiving faith’s promise. They saw it from a distance, i.e. through the lens of faith, but they never actually saw it with their physical eyes.
Now that I have your attention, allow me to share with you what is really on my heart: From what I have been able to see, many people confuse fear with faith. I cannot tell you how many times I have heard someone declare they are walking in faith, when in truth, they are walking in fear (seldom do they admit it!).
Talk for example the person who has been feeling ill for several weeks, and the ill-ness is such that others notice it. Being the “strong” believer that he is, he finally admits that he is feeling ill, but he also announces that he is trusting God to take care of whatever is wrong, to heal him, and, thus, he refuses to go to the Doctor.
Just for the record, this person is NOT walking in faith; the truth is, he refuses to go to the doctor because he is afraid of what he will find out. This person is walking in fear, wearing the disguise of faith, which isn’t faith at all.
I know many pastors who lay claim to being men of faith, but their tendency toward micromanaging those who labor alongside them, nullifies their claim. Regardless of their claim, they are really walking in fear, not in faith. Genuine faith says, “I trust you to do your job, but if you need me, I am here for you.” Genuine faith is never afraid of failure; in fact, it expects it, even encourages it. How else can people grow and mature?
You can take this to the bank: Pride is the enemy of faith—always. The very familiar “If you just had enough faith, you wouldn’t be sick” mindset has locked many Christians in the prison of pride, and driven them down the road of fear, wearing the disguise of faith, which isn’t faith, at all.
The mindset that says, “If you people just had enough faith, we could easily raise enough money to build our much-needed fellowship hall” has locked many pastors in the prison of pride, and driven them down the road of control, wearing the disguise of humility and faith, neither of which is the genuine article. Listen up: true faith never attempts to be in control; that is what fear does—always.
The person who is truly walking in faith, is the person who is living in the freedom that Jesus died to give to him, the kind of freedom that allows for weaknesses, for failures, and, yes, even for fear (the kind of fear that does not have to hide behind a mask of faith).
“For without faith it is impossible to please Him . . .” (Hebrews 11:6a; NASB).

Boasting about Weaknesses? Really?

Mac's Perspective on the Intricacies of God’s Amazing Grace

August 9, 2009
Dear Fellow Travelers,
The words of Paul have intrigued me for many years: “If I have to boast, I will boast of what pertains to my weakness” (2 Corinthians 11:30; NASB). One of the reasons for my intrigue is the fact that, at least from my perspective, Paul was such an incredibly strong Christian. If he was weak, God help the rest of us!
Another reason for my intrigue with this passage is the fact that, at least at this point in my life, I am much more aware of my weaknesses, than I am of my strengths (age will do that to you!). Admittedly, I cannot claim to do much boasting about my weaknesses, but I am aware of them—very aware.
For example, Jesus said that, if we have faith the size of a mustard seed (very, very small!), we could say to a mountain, be thou cast into the sea and it would jump right in the ocean! Well, this is the actual quote: “. . . for truly I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you shall say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there, and it shall move; and nothing shall be impossible for you” (Matthew 17:20; NASB).
Obviously, (to those of you who know me) I have very little faith (boasting about my weakness!), not even enough to equal the size of a mustard seed (really boasting about my weakness!), because I haven’t had much success moving mountains (the earthy kind or the metaphorical kind). Yes, I have seen God do some incredible things, move some genuine “mountains” in my life and in the life of others, but you can rest assured that it had nothing to do with my great faith (boasting about my weakness, just in case you missed it)!
Here is another example: Faith requires that we do not see; otherwise, why have faith. If I can see, I do not need faith. “Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1; KJV). Listen to what the writer of Hebrews (prob-ably Paul) is saying: Faith is the assurance (substance) of things I hope for, and it is the evidence (conviction) of things I cannot see. Well, trust me on this one: there is much that I hope for and even more that I cannot see, and make no mistake—hoping scares me to death (boasting about my weakness!); in my mind, a bird in hand is worth two under a bush. And I might add, I much prefer seeing over not seeing (boasting about my weakness!)!
And another: John tells us that there is no fear in love because perfect love casts out fear . . . and the one who fears is not perfected in love. If you want it, this is his precise quote, per the NASB: “There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love” (1 John 4:18). Well, so much for John’s fearlessness, but some things scare the wits out of me (and you, too, if you are honest!), which means, I suppose, that I have not been perfected in love (boasting about my weakness!).
I suppose I should also boast about this weakness: I have a very hard time loving some people, even some of God’s people; truth is, there are some that I don’t even like (re-ally boasting in my weakness!).
I could go on and on boasting about my weaknesses, but you would tire of reading and never get to my point, so I will stop (for now).
This is my point: I really do want you to know that is perfectly OK that you do not have it all together, that sometimes your “yarn” looks much like a tangled fishing line; that you haven’t arrived at perfection in your behavior, that sometimes you kick, and spit, and cuss; that some things scare the wits out of you and living by faith is one of them; that you haven’t gotten love all figured out and wrapped in a neat package with a ribbon on it, and, as a result, at least from your perspective, some of God’s children are just plain weird and hard to love, even like.
This is what Paul said about that: “And He said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for [My] power is perfected in weakness.’ Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, that the power of Christ may dwell in me. Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ’s sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong” (2 Corinthians 12:9-10; NASB; brackets mine). One thing is for sure, the Psalmist was correct: God’s ways are not our ways.

On Being Distracted

Thursday, August 6, 2009



Dear Fellow Travelers,

One of the things about the life of Jesus that has intrigued me over the years is the ability He demonstrated to remain focused, even in the midst of extreme adversity. For most of us, even the slightest adversity distracts us; consequently, most of us live life in a “state of distraction.”

The fact is no one has ever had to endure the relentless adversity that Jesus did; yet, His ability to remain focused is unparalleled. Some of you are probably thinking that He was able to do this because of who He was, but we must not forget that He was fully human, being tempted in every way that we are tempted.

His experience on the Mount of Temptation illustrates my point quite well (see Matthew 4:1-11). As you know, He had just spent forty days and nights in the wilderness, fasting under extreme adversity, when Satan shows up in an effort to distract Him through very enticing temptations. Amazingly, during this entire forty-day experience, He never lost focus, not even for a second; instead, He remained faithful to His mission and purpose.

Be honest. How easily are you distracted from God’s mission and purpose for your life? What (who) is presently distracting you? Are you presently experiencing an adversity that is distracting you? Is the focus of your life more on you and your circumstances, or on the abundant life that He died to give to you?

These are the words of Paul: “But I am afraid, lest as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, your minds should be led astray from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ” (2 Corinthians 11:3).

I hope you will give this some thought, especially in light of the fact that Satan will do whatever he can to rob you of the joy of living in the simplicity and purity of devotion to Jesus.

On Devotion to Jesus

Thursday, August 6, 2009

Dear Fellow Travelers,
One of the things about the life of Jesus that has intrigued me over the years is the ability He demonstrated to remain focused, even in the midst of extreme adversity. For most of us, even the slightest adversity distracts us; consequently, most of us live life in a “state of distraction.”
The fact is no one has ever had to endure the relentless adversity that Jesus did; yet, His ability to remain focused is unparalleled. Some of you are probably thinking that He was able to do this because of who He was, but we must not forget that He was fully human, being tempted in every way that we are tempted.
His experience on the Mount of Temptation illustrates my point quite well (see Matthew 4:1-11). As you know, He had just spent forty days and nights in the wilderness, fasting under extreme adversity, when Satan shows up in an effort to distract Him through very enticing temptations. Amazingly, during this entire forty-day experience, He never lost focus, not even for a second; instead, He remained faithful to His mission and purpose.
Be honest. How easily are you distracted from God’s mission and purpose for your life? What (who) is presently distracting you? Are you presently experiencing an adversity that is distracting you? Is the focus of your life more on you and your circumstances, or on the abundant life that He died to give to you?
These are the words of Paul: “But I am afraid, lest as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, your minds should be led astray from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ” (2 Corinthians 11:3).
I hope you will give this some thought, especially in light of the fact that Satan will do whatever he can to rob you of the joy of living in the simplicity and purity of devotion to Jesus.

Thursday, August 6, 2009

Dear Fellow Travelers,
One of the things about the life of Jesus that has intrigued me over the years is the ability He demonstrated to remain focused, even in the midst of extreme adversity. For most of us, even the slightest adversity distracts us; consequently, most of us live life in a “state of distraction.”
The fact is no one has ever had to endure the relentless adversity that Jesus did; yet, His ability to remain focused is unparalleled. Some of you are probably thinking that He was able to do this because of who He was, but we must not forget that He was fully human, being tempted in every way that we are tempted.
His experience on the Mount of Temptation illustrates my point quite well (see Matthew 4:1-11). As you know, He had just spent forty days and nights in the wilderness, fasting under extreme adversity, when Satan shows up in an effort to distract Him through very enticing temptations. Amazingly, during this entire forty-day experience, He never lost focus, not even for a second; instead, He remained faithful to His mission and purpose.
Be honest. How easily are you distracted from God’s mission and purpose for your life? What (who) is presently distracting you? Are you presently experiencing an adversity that is distracting you? Is the focus of your life more on you and your circumstances, or on the abundant life that He died to give to you?
These are the words of Paul: “But I am afraid, lest as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, your minds should be led astray from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ” (2 Corinthians 11:3).
I hope you will give this some thought, especially in light of the fact that Satan will do whatever he can to rob you of the joy of living in the simplicity and purity of devotion to Jesus.

I Have No Idea!

August 3, 2009
Dear Fellow Travelers,
With so many unsettling changes and broken promises being made by the leaders (on both sides of the aisle) of our country, I am very thankful that there is One who never changes, that there is One, whose Word is forever settled in Heaven. Many, many years ago, He gave me the faith to believe that I can depend upon Him to keep His Word, always to do what is best, never to leave me nor forsake me, and to get me Home before dark. For reasons far beyond me, the faith He placed within me still holds, as the anchor of my life. It really is the substance of things I hope for and the evidence of what I cannot see.
Oh yes, there are times when my faith is shaken to its very foundation, but even then, He never lets me forget that it is His faith, not mine, that is working in my life, so I need not panic. He has ways of encouraging me, that I could never in my wildest dreams imagine. When I am convinced there is no hope and no way out UNLESS He comes through, HE ALWAYS COMES THROUGH! No, He does NOT always come through the way I want Him to, but that is a tremendous blessing in and of itself.
A few weeks ago, Annis and I were having dinner with a couple, who have faithfully supported GCF (the church I pastor) with their prayers, their love, and their money for probably a dozen or more years. I have no idea how many prayers they have prayed for GCF, or how many expressions of love I have received from them, but I can tell you, that for that dozen or more years, they have not missed one single month of contributing very generously to GCF.
In these years of their lives, they have some dreams they really want to see become reality, very exciting dreams; it excites me, just to hear them talk of them. They have waited and waited for the doors to open, but thus far they have remained closed. In our conversation during dinner, I think I detected a bit of frustration, well maybe a bit more than a bit; after all, prolonged waiting for something you truly desire in never easy, even for committed Christians.
We are their friends, and we really want this dream to become reality for them, but, I must admit there is this one hitch: the fulfillment of their dreams will mean a severe decrease in their income, and, therefore, a severe decrease in what they are able to contribute to GCF. Honestly, as much as I want to see their dreams become reality, this causes me a bit of anxiety, well maybe a bit more than a bit; after all, the uncertainty can be a bit frightening, even to a committed, Christian pastor.
I will never forget the words these beloved friends spoke to us (the husband actually did the speaking, but his wife’s heart was with him): Knowing that God is using us to be a financial blessing to GCF makes all the waiting for our dreams to become reality worthwhile (my paraphrase but it is close to an exact quote). I couldn’t help but notice the tears that were welling up in their eyes, and, to be sure, I was humbled beyond mere words!
Would you please pray that our incredibly faithful God would allow the dreams of my friends to become reality—soon? Thanks! I knew you would.
On another note, I learned just this Sunday morning, that another dear friend, along with one of his friends, is going to be translating my perspectives, aka “Mac’s Perspective,” into Spanish and Portuguese, and, then, passing them on to believers in Brasilia, Brazil and Lima, Peru! I stand in deep appreciation for these friends, who will be extending my preaching of the gospel, even to the uttermost parts of the earth. Talk about encouragement!
To be honest, I have no idea how, in these tough economic times, God will continue to finance the ministry of GCF, I cannot even say that I know He will, but I can say this: I am very thankful that there is One who never changes, that there is One whose Word is forever settled in Heaven, and I am especially thankful that He gave me the faith to believe that I can depend upon Him to keep His Word, always to do what is best, never to leave me nor forsake me, and to get me Home before dark.
To each of you, who read my perspectives, who pass them on to others, who trans-late them into other languages, who pray for me, who encourage me, who so obviously love me, who financially support GCF, I want to express my sincere thanks.
“But I do not consider my life of any account as dear to myself, in order that I may finish my course, and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify solemnly of the gospel of the grace of God” (Acts 20: 24 NASB).

Grace lavished,

Mac

One Day, One Thousand Years?

August 1, 2009

Dear Fellow Travelers,
Holy tamole, it is August!! I am telling you guys, it will be September in just a few minutes. The older I become the more I realize what Peter meant by his “with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years is as one day,” especially, the last part. Oh well—
In my reading to prepare for my sermon tomorrow, I came across something from John R.W. Stott’s book, “The Message of Galatians” (p. 179), that in my opinion is worth sharing with those of you who read my perspectives. Listen up: “And what is there about the cross of Christ which angers the world and stirs them up to persecute those who preach it? Just this: Christ died on the cross for us sinners, becoming a curse for us (Galatians 3:13). So the cross tells us some very unpalatable truths about ourselves, namely that we are sinners under the righteous curse of God’s law and we cannot save ourselves. Christ bore our sin and curse precisely because we could gain release from them in no other way. If we could have been forgiven by our own good works, by being circumcised and keeping the law, we may be quite sure that there would have been no cross. Cf. Galatians 2:21. Every time we look at the cross Christ seems to say to us, ‘I am here because of you. It is your sin I am bearing, your curse I am suffering, your debt I am paying, your death I am dying.’ Nothing in history or in the universe cuts us down to size like the cross. All of us have inflated views of ourselves, especially in self-righteousness, until we have visited a place called Calvary. It is there, at the foot of the cross, that we shrink to our true size. And of course men do not like it.”
This is merely my perspective, so factor that into your response: When we are living in the truth of what Stott has written, time really does fly, a thousand years is as one day; however, when we are living outside the parameters of this truth, time seems to be at a standstill, one day is as a thousand years.