Saturday, June 30, 2018

Deeper Still


“There is no pit so deep, that God's love is not deeper still.” ~ Corrie Ten Boom


Extraordinary Times

The above quote from Corrie Ten Boom came to mind this morning and it made me think about how glad I am that I didn’t have to experience what she went through. How dismal to live in a country taken over by Nazi Germany. Sent to a concentration camp for hiding Jews, she lost both her father and sister in the process. And yet of those experiences she says, “God’s love is deeper still.” This thought along with her life and ministry challenge my thinking—if in fact, I dare to think about the implications at all.


Pursuit of Love

But if I choose to think about the relationship between suffering and God's love, I might ask which comes first— God's love that we might prepare for adversity, or adversity so that we might experience his love in a deeper way. Perhaps, however, neither are the right question.

1 Corinthians 14:1 tells us to pursue love—that is, "pursue with all haste ("chasing" after), earnestly desiring to overtake (apprehend)." In addition, 1 Corinthians 16:14 tells us to do everything in love. So while it's true that his love runs deeper than our suffering, experiencing God's love is not dependent upon a "pitiful" experience (pardon the pun). Love is to be pursued at all costs and in all situations!

Somehow, we have become more need-oriented then love-driven. It's not that we should not reach out when in crisis, but our relationship with the Father must extend beyond our need for intervention. While we do find multiple examples of David crying out for help in times of adversity, we also know him as a man already after God's own heart—already pursuing the love of God.

If it is true that pain and suffering predominately motivate our relationship with God, it can train us to see him only as a rescuer, and ourselves as children worthy of attention only when we're hurt. Pain and suffering become our only tie to his presence.


Measuring Up

It’s often been noted that we view life through the filters of our beliefs. Some, it is said, see life through "rose-colored glasses,” while some see only the negative around them. Those same filters affect our judgements and we come to conclusions based on our past experiences. Often, that's how we measure life, and we do so for self protection. We are self-preservationists doing our best to avoid the pitfalls of life.

In the midst of all that, how do we allow the Spirit of Christ within us to begin to rise above our tendency towards self-preservation? How can we begin to stretch outside of ourselves, pursuing God’s love—love that is selfless and that extends to others?  


The Want To

“…When you were younger you dressed yourself and went where you wanted; but when you are old you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go.” (John 21:18 NIV) 

Jesus gave Peter a taste of what was ahead for him. What would you do if Jesus said that to you? I not only avoid places I don’t want to go, but I am anxious to leave my current discomfort behind. Are you that way too? And when we're in that pit, is it our experience that God’s love actually turns out to be deeper still as Corrie Ten Boom suggests? If so, how does all this work?


Moving Beyond

In the midst of great opposition, what drove the disciples to pray for boldness that they would push themselves further into adversity (Acts 4:23-31)? What compelled Paul towards Jerusalem knowing what awaited him there (Acts 21:13)? What within us challenges us to bust out of our cocoons of relative safety? When do we cease living our lives with us at the center?

How do we go about pursuing the love of God and what he intends for us?


The Joy Set Before Us

Religion teaches us that perseverance, sacrifice, and self-discipline alone bring spiritual success. The fact is that those who live by them alone, also die by them. But instead of mere determination, Jesus set joy before him so that he might endure the cross (Hebrews 12:12).

While love is the greatest of the holy triad—faith, hope, and love (1 Corinthians 13:13), the pearl of the trifecta of the kingdom—righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit, is joy (Romans 14:17).

While love must be pursued, joy must be considered:

"Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything." (James 1:2-4 NIV)

James says that perseverance is produced by the testing of our faith, within the context of joy. Joy is an attribute of knowing God and knowing him to be faithful. Joy is not only defined as gladness, but also as the awareness of the source of that joy, specifically the grace and favor of God. We know who he his, so we know he is with us through our trials.


Fullness

Corrie Ten Boom suggests that, among other things, the pit helps us to measure God's immeasurable love which surpasses the parameters of the pit and surpasses knowledge itself.

“I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.” (Ephesians 3:16-19 NIV)

Although we may be in a pit, a container and place of dispair, we're actually dealing with the places within us. It's within ourselves that we discover the love already shed abroad in our hearts (Romans 5:5)—that place where we’ve already been made one with him (1 Corinthians 1:16). 

"...You greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith...Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy." (1 Peter 1:6-8 NIV)

His love is deeper still!

Sunday, June 24, 2018

A Holy Ghost Story




For many of us, merely surviving the natural world is enough. The supernatural is more than we desire to handle. This is not strictly a 21st Century reaction. The same could be said of people in Jesus’ day as the following story illustrates.

A Ghost Story

“Shortly before dawn Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake. When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. ‘It's a ghost,’ they said, and cried out in fear.” (Matthew 14:25, 26 NIV)

They were scared! But why? They had walked with Jesus for nearly two years and miracles had become a part of their everyday lives. Just hours before, for example, Jesus turned a few pieces of bread and some fish into enough food for over 5,000 people and they participated by drawing out this miracle of multiplication from the baskets held within their own hands. 

Furthermore, the disciples had just returned from a ministry trip where, without Jesus being present, they administered acts of healing and deliverance by their own hands, bringing freedom to many in Jesus' name (Mark 6:6-12). All this, however, was not enough to prepare Jesus' disciples for the encounter before them.

The Cure is Worse than the Disease

Obedient to Jesus’ command, the disciples had been doing all within their power to row to the other side of the Sea of Galilee, but having made little progress over many hours, they were coming to the end of themselves.

“… the boat was in the middle of the lake, and… the disciples [were] straining at the oars, because the wind was against them. Shortly before dawn… A strong wind was blowing and the waters grew rough… they had rowed about three or four miles…” (Mark 6:47, 48, John 6:19 NIV)
They were not merely overwhelmed, they were tremendously frightened as suddenly, they saw a figure walking towards them on the water.
“When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. "It's a ghost," they said, and cried out in fear… They cried out, because they all saw him and were terrified.” (Matthew 14:26, Mark 6:49, 50 NIV)
Those who lived and walked with Jesus were likely never underwhelmed by his presence, but here and amidst their struggle, Jesus actually terrified them as he made an unexpected appearance as... "a ghost." The names translated as either "Holy Ghost," or "Holy Spirit" are translated from the word Pneuma, which means wind, breath, or spirit. However, in these passages, the word Ghost comes from the word Phantasma, meaning ghost, phantom, or apparition and that's what they believed they had experienced. 

If those who walked with him so intimately were this shocked by this manifestation of Jesus' presence, it is no mystery why we today shy away from expressions of God's presence in our midst. Like his early disciples, we too can become uncomfortable, disoriented, and even scared when Jesus surpasses both our expectations and our comfort zones.

Mistaken Identity

“But he said to them, “It is I; don’t be afraid.” Then they were willing to take him into the boat…” (John 6:20, 21 NIV)
While this instance had been unprecedented up until this time, it would not be the last time that the disciples would need such reassurance to both recognize and accept Jesus' presence among them. Many post-resurrection appearances required that Jesus both revealed himself and proved his identity. The following is one such occurrence which nearly mirrors his appearance to them upon the Sea of Galilee.
“Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, ‘Peace be with you.’ They were startled and frightened, thinking they saw a ghost… 'Touch me and see; a ghost does not have flesh and bones, as you see I have.'” (Luke 24:26, 27, 29 NIV)
I find it interesting that in both instances, Jesus needed to reassure the disciples that he was not a ghost. How many times have we been leery of encounters with Jesus we either skeptically witnessed online, or encounters as they had been reported  to us — because to us, they seem more like ghost stories than Jesus sightings? Perhaps by applying our faith amidst those circumstances will give Jesus a better opportunity to reveal himself to us.

Insult to Injury

Finally, while the eleven came to realize that Jesus had come not to scare them but to save them from their toil, merely being saved from his plight was not enough for one of Jesus' disciples. Peter just couldn’t leave things alone. Now that Jesus had demonstrated to Peter what was possible, he desired to stand up and walk the walk of a disciple — in the footsteps of Jesus himself.
“'Lord, if it’s you,’ Peter replied, ‘tell me to come to you on the water.’ ‘Come,’ he said.’ Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus.” (Matthew 14:28, 29 NIV)
Peter walked on water! Jesus didn't have to beg him to test his faith; as it was Peter who actually begged Jesus.

Why?

Why did Jesus walk across the Sea of Galilee and why did he empower Peter to do the same? Why these extravagant demonstrations, especially since it is not recorded that Jesus or Peter ever did so again? What real gain did this miracle produce? I suspect that the disciples secretly asked the very same question each time that Peter failed miserably, speaking under their breath, “How’s that trip out on the lake helping you now?” 

I think we miss the point, however. Consider that in this miracle, Jesus never rebuked Peter for stepping out or for over-reaching — although we today might and often do bring that charge. Instead, Jesus rebuked Peter for sabotaging his own faith by doubting what God was doing through him. 

The fact is that God has a long track record of doing things in very dramatic ways which most relegate as "ghost stories," fit only for Sunday school classes instead of as an invitation to participate in the Gospel.


Mysterious Miracles

Actually, Scripture contains an abundance of strange manifestations which tend to generate more questions than they do answers. In these, it is not often clear why God manifested these miracles as he did, or what he intended through their performance. Here’s a few which meet that criteria:

Old Testament
  • Moses hit a rock and water flowed out
  • Naaman was cured of leprosy by washing seven times in the Jordan River
  • Elisha’s bones were used to resurrect the dead
  • Balaam’s donkey spoke
  • The walls of Jericho fell by walking around it and shouting
New Testament
  • Jesus produced wine from water for a crowd that was already drunk
  • Jesus enabled a supernatural catch of fish for Simon, only to have Simon immediately walk away from his fishing business
  • Jesus brought healing by spitting in the dirt and wiping the mud into a blind man’s eyes
  • Peter caught a fish with a coin in its mouth to pay taxes
  • Peter was delivered out of prison by an angel
  • Rag’s from Paul’s clothing healed many
  • Peter's shadow healed the sick


Luxurious

While some view these ancient as well as any modern-day expressions of God’s power as overly extravagant, is difficult to explain, and impossible to defend, God does not seem to be embarrassed by them… even if we are.

Somehow, those acts and circumstances which strike us as scary, risky, or uncomfortable—these are the very things which tend to advance the kingdom (Matthew 12:28). Each seem so incongruent with our daily lives and maybe that is an indication that we're somehow missing an important aspect of God’s character and nature. Perhaps God is more "out there" than we like to admit.
“He’s wild you know. Not like a tame lion.” ― C.S. Lewis - The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe


Our Focus

We all know that while Peter walked upon the water, it is his failure to stay upright that has become the focus of most who read the story.
“Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!” Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. “You of little faith,” he said, “why did you doubt?” And when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down.” (Matthew 14:29-32 NIV)
Peter seems doomed to be remembered as the guy with so little faith that he needed Jesus to rescue him. But how often do we consider how the other disciples fared? Remember that it takes absolutely no faith at all to sit in a boat and wait for someone else to succeed or fail. This is especially true concerning those who dare to step out on the water based upon the words of Jesus — words like, "...whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these..." (John 14:12 NIV)

Peter’s “little faith,” which was as small as a mustard seed, enabled him to walk on water. But it was the size of his doubt that allowed him to begin to sink. That's why Jesus commended him for his “little” faith, while at the same time, asked him why he doubted. The Church has often taken more comfort in identifying with Peter's doubt than we have identifying with the power of his faith. Odd, isn't it?

The End of a Ghost Story

To this day, ghost stories continue to illicit fear; even though the pages of the Bible from front to back encourage us to “Fear not” as many times as there are days in the year—365. Consider that while the disciples were as troubled as the waters under their boat during this event on Galilee Lake, at Pentecost, God enabled them to leave those ghosts behind as they too began to step out in boldness.
“Now, Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness. Stretch out your hand to heal and perform signs and wonders through the name of your holy servant Jesus. After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly…With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus… The apostles performed many signs and wonders among the people.” (Acts 4:29, 30, 33, 5:12 NIV)

God answered their bold prayers and by the Spirit, the resurrected and ascended Jesus stretched out his hand to heal and perform signs and wonders through each of them. Pentecost allowed them, and all who believe, the boldness to leave the boat and walk on the waters before us. 

... For more on Peter's walk on the water, see Peter Tested Both Jesus and His Own Faith

Thursday, June 14, 2018

I Can Dream, Can't I?




Jameel grew up listening to the great radio shows of the 1930s and 1940s. His favorites were the comedians: Jack Benny, Bob Hope, and Red Skelton. From a young age, he knew he wanted to become an entertainer. After the war, his savings bonds matured and provided him enough money for a year of study at the Pasadena Playhouse in California. So, he left Ohio to follow his dreams.

After his money ran out, he picked up some roles here and there until one day, he was recommended for a bit part playing a new character on the Red Skelton Show. Skelton took to Jameel right away and he appeared on Skelton’s show over a period of about a year. He picked up some other roles and even landed a small part in a big movie. But just as things were picking up, Jameel was drafted into the army.

When Jameel returned home a few years later, his father had passed away, he and his family had no money, and his career had dried up. So, he knew he had to quit the business to take care of his family. But, Skelton would have none of it. He gave Jameel emergency money to send home to his mother and then hired Jameel as kind of a personal assistant. His duties included occasional performance time, but mostly involved working behind the scenes.

Jameel worked with his childhood hero for about a year until the itch to jumpstart his career was too much for him. This was in the late 1950s and he spent the next 25 years with an up and down career until he got his big break. Of course, early on, he knew that his name, Jameel Farah, needed to be Americanized if he were to work in the entertainment industry, so he changed his name to Jamie Farr. To most of the world, he's know as Maxwell Q. Klinger from the T.V. show, M*A*S*H. He remained friends with Skelton until the legendary performer’s death.

It's an amazing story, one you don't hear everyday. But, it raises a question. How far can a dream go? Can it be fulfilled beyond what we could ever ask or think? Can stories like this create hope that our dreams are worth dreaming? In addition, is it too late to start dreaming; are only childhood dreams honored, and only for a select few?

Think about it! Paul McCartney dreamed the song Yesterday. He woke up with the tune in his head and he went around for days asking people if they’d heard it before. After a while, he realized that he had dreamed an original song. So, he wrote lyrics to it and it has become the most recorded song in music history, recorded by over 2,200 people.

As believers, stories like this should give us hope. Our spiritual heritage is steeped in dreams. Ultimately, Old Testament dreams birthed New Testament realities. And, according to Acts 2, dreams are our business. But dreams aren't meant to stay only dreams. They must be enacted. Jameel had to go to California for his dreams to be set in motion, and McCartney had to take the chance and record his song before it could make it into the Guinness Book of World Records as the most recorded song in history. And let's not forget that when Jamie Farr showed up on the set of M*A*S*H to say a handful of lines for a one-day shoot, he stayed on the series for the eleven-year run of the show. I bet that was more than he could ask or imagine (Ephesians 3:20).