John Stallings
It is with pleasure that I tell you that I represent Glory Realtors Inc., an exciting investment opportunity.
Let me quickly confess that I haven’t always lived there but have visited enough to honestly be able to present it to you as a wonderful place to live.
I am trying to persuade as many people as possible to buy property on Praise Avenue. I don’t know where you live now but it would be safe to say many of you live in exclusive residential areas. Maybe you live on Complain Court, Lamentation lane, Grumble Gables, or Barely Getting by Boulevard, down at the end of the street, next to Ain’t It Awful Ally. However, I’m asking you to pack up, sell out, and move to Praise Avenue.
“Why should I do that? You ask. Good question. When an intelligent person decides to relocate, he does it for good reasons, so let me give you several reasons to make this move.
REASON #1:
WE ARE COUNSELED BY GOD’S WORD TO LIVE ON PRAISE AVENUE.
Psalm 135:1 says, “Praise ye the Lord. Praise ye the name of the Lord; praise him O ye servants of the Lord.”
Psalm 106:1 says, “Praise ye the Lord. O give thanks to the Lord; for he is good; for his mercy endureth forever.
Psalm 103:1 says, “Bless the Lord, O my soul; and all that is within me bless his holy name.”
Psalm 100:4 says, “Enter into his gates with thanksgiving and into his courts with praise.”
Many other places in Gods word implore us to live on Praise Avenue.
Psalm 96:1-6 tells us; “Sing unto the Lord a new song all the earth. Sing unto the Lord, bless his name; show forth his salvation from day to day. Declare his glory among the heathen, his wonders among all people; For the Lord is great, and greatly to be praised. He is to be feared above all Gods. For all the gods of the world are; but the Lord made the heavens. Honor and majesty are before him: strength and beauty are in his sanctuary.”
REASON #2:
SOMEONE WHO WE SUPREMELY LOVE WANTS US TO LIVE ON PRAISE AVENUE.
When you love someone, you are always looking for ways to please them. You will have a keen listening ear to each and every suggestion because you know that some special day such as a birthday or Christmas is coming up and you don’t want to miss an opportunity to please the one you love. If you catch the slightest hint, you will file it away until you can fulfill that desire.
Some people are terribly hard to please, but look how easy our God has made it for us. He has plainly told us that He craves our love and praise so much that if we build him a house of praise He’ll be quick to inhabit it. To be frank, the very reason He created us was so that the creature could praise the creator. When a child climbs in his fathers lap and gives him love, the father receives great joy from it. Likewise our God receives genuine pleasure when we respond to His love for us with expressions of worship and praise.
REASON #3:
WE WILL GREATLY BENEFIT FROM THE MOVE TO PRAISE AVENUE.
Nothing blesses us in every way more than praise does. Note that God is always seeking to do us, His children good. A close investigation of all Gods commandments will prove that they are all designed for our benefit. If you feel that God isn’t answering your prayers, maybe you could make a change and start mingling more praise with your petitions and see what happens. When you and I start to recognize the goodness and mercies of God He will then start to consider our wants and needs more. Praise benefits us in another way, in that it will always make the devil run. Have you ever noticed that if you are talking to a person about someone they don’t have much affection for, the more you say positive about that person, the more uncomfortable the person is who doesn’t like them. If you don’t stop building that person up, you’ll soon lose your audience. That’s what praise does to Satan. He so despises God that he won’t be around long when we start to praise the Lord.
REASON #4:
THE LANDLORD ON PRAISE AVENUE WILL KEEP US SAFE AT ALL TIMES.
As soon as you make the move to praise avenue, you’ll get a protection policy, not that you’ll never have a problem, but that God will always go through it with you. Someone might ask; if I already have problems and a move to praise avenue won’t guarantee no problems, why should I move? The answer is simple. If we try to solve life’s problems by ourselves, we are sure to end up in trouble. But if we live on Praise Avenue, God will fight our battles for us. The bottom line is; without praise, life will sooner or later become too much for us.
Think about how faithful God has always been to wake you in the morning as well as sustain, protect and provide for you with such regularity. Think how he’s blessed you with sight, hearing, and the ability to move around and enjoy life. If you saw the movie The Passion, it reminded you of what Jesus went through to purchase our salvation.
Should we not sing with the songwriter?
MERCY THERE WAS GREAT AND GRACE WAS FREE.
PARDON THERE WAS MULTIPLIED TO ME,
THERE MY BURDENED SOUL FOUND LIBERTY,
AT CALVARY.
REASON #5:
MOVING TO PRAISE AVENUE WILL EXPRESS OUR FAITH IN GOD.
Our ability to burst into praise regardless of the circumstances is truly a measure of the quality and quantity of our faith in God. If we believe that God is both willing and able to do “exceedingly abundantly above all we could ask or think,” if we believe that our lives are in his care, if we really believe that nothing comes to us except what in His providence He allows, why would we not praise him in bad times as well as good?
As the old song goes, “anyone can sing when the suns shining bright, but you need a song in your heart at night.”
When you live on praise Avenue, you may be “troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted but not forsaken; cast down but not destroyed.” 2 Corinthians 4:8-9.
You see, even in the darkest circumstances, we can praise God because we know that all things are not good, but “all things work together for good to them that love God. “Romans 8:28. When we believe Him, we turn everything over to Him and praise Him for whatever he does.
Some well known Old Testament residents of Praise Avenue are Jehoshaphat and his army, who were surrounded by three hostile armies. The story says, “Then Jehoshaphat appointed singers unto the Lord and that should praise the beauty of holiness as they went out before the army, and to say “ Praise the Lord; for his mercy endureth forever.” 2 Chronicles 20:19-21.
Notice that Jehoshaphat put his full trust in the word of the Lord, not stationing the praisers behind the army where they’d have some measure of protection. No, they were stationed before the army relying on the fact that their praises would be suitable habitation for an all-powerful God who would fight their battle for them.
Two well known New Testament occupants of Praise Avenue are Paul and Silas. They had been thrown in jail in Philippi on trumped up charges. They had been flogged and their backs were sore and swollen. Their feet were in hard, brutal stocks. Every movement added more pain. By all rights they’d have been complaining but they weren’t. Instead they decided to praise God. And God, the mighty deliverer responded to those praises. The record says that suddenly a great earthquake came and the foundations of the prison were shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened and everyone’s hands were loosed. Hallelujah!!!
The fact that God shows up when we praise is a good reason to keep praising, isn’t it?
REASON #6:
LIVING ON PRAISE AVENUE WILL ALLOW US TO PRACTICE FOR HEAVENS CHIEF ACTIVITY.
You can read Revelation 5:11-14 and Revelation 19 for a lifestyle of the redeemed as pictured by John the Revelator. In Revelation 5:11-13 John gets a glimpse on the inside of heaven and paints a word picture of a glorious service in heaven. He says;
“And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne, and the beasts, and the elders; and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand and thousands of thousands, saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and blessing. And every creature that was in heaven, and on the earth and under the earth, and such as are in the sea and all that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing and honor and glory be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb forever and ever.” Hallelujah!!!
I don’t know how many trillions that is but let’s say that John saw more angels praising God than our minds can comprehend.
Aren’t you glad that this old world isn’t our home; we’re just pilgrims passing through. We have got a lot to look forward to because according to John, we’ll join the saints of all the ages and engage in Praising God throughout the ceaseless ages of eternity.
So I’ll tell you what. In the light of all we’ve said, I have decided to move to praise Avenue and I’m inviting all of you to move with me. Regardless of our problems, let us praise the Lord.
God forbid, but if you sprain your ankle, praise him that he’s Jehovah Rophe, the mighty healer.
God forbid, but if you are dead broke, and the bills are high, and funds low, praise God he’s Jehovah Jireh, our provider.
God forbid, but if your spouse runs out on you or your children turn their backs on you, praise God he’s Jehovah Shammah and he’ll never leave you or forsake you.
God forbid, but if one day the devil, the accuser of the brethren, mounts a massive offensive against you and you feel your filthy rag of righteousness is filthier than ever, praise God that Jehovah Tsidkenu is only a prayer away and is eager to cover you with his robe of righteousness.
Have you ever noticed that the last five Psalms start with the words, “Praise ye the Lord?”
Reading these Psalms gives us the principles for improving the emotional landscape of our minds and the attitude structure of our hearts, so that we may have a blessed and happy life. The One-hundred fiftieth Psalm says;
PRAISE GOD IN HIS SANCTUARY,
PRAISE HIM IN THE FIRMAMENT OF HIS POWER,
PRAISE HIM FOR HIS MIGHTY ACTS,
PRAISE HIM ACCORDING TO HIS ABUNDANT GREATNESS,
PRAISE HIM WITH THE BLAST OF THE HORN,
PRAISE HIM WITH THE PSALTERY AND HARP,
PRAISE HIM WITH THE TIMBREL AND DANCE,
PRAISE HIM WITH STRINGED INSTRUMENTS AND PIPE,
PRAISE HIM WITH LOUD-SOUNDING CYMBALS,
PRAISE HIM WITH CLANGING CYMBALS;
LET EVERY THING THAT HATH BREATH PRAISE THE LORD,
HALLELUJAH.
I IMPLORE YOU, AS I AM DOING, TO MAKE THE PERMINENT MOVE TO PRAISE AVENUE SO THAT WE CAN,
…. “BLESS THE LORD AT ALL TIMES AND LET HIS PRAISE BE CONTINUALLY BE IN OUR MOUTHS.” Psalm 34:1.
John
P.S I won't be blogging for a dew days as we're leaving on a short trip. See you soon.
Every blessing in Christ,----Jas.
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
What is your Passion?
By John Stallings
I’m not asking you if you like chicken wings or quiet walks on the beach.
I’m asking, “What is your passion?” What pulls you out of bed in the morning & keeps you going when there’s very little in the outward circumstance to encourage you? What can make you voluntarily burn the midnight oil? What would you do without getting paid? What would you sacrifice blood sweat & tears for?
I’m talking about hunger, thirst, desire, fire, passion & a drive for meaning & achievement in life.
One dictionary defines passion as “Intense, driven, overmastering feeling of conviction, ardent affection, devotion to some activity, deep desire or interest.”
PASSION comes from the Greek word Pascho which means “to suffer,” or “to sacrifice,” & is a requirement if we are to be truly successful at any enterprise. There must be a “fire in the belly” that will catapult us past all the impediments that life throws at us.
When you think of successful people in any field, you automatically think of passion. One of my favorite sports figures is Tiger Woods. Tiger’s late father, who was a man passionate about golf, started exposing Tiger to the game of golf at the age of three. Tiger’s dad would take him out to practice every day for two hours. The passion his father had rubbed off on Tiger, & he actually lived to totally transform the game. Tiger even got me interested in the game! I can now sit and watch it for hours on end when before, I couldn’t stand the tedium of it. Also, golf is too aggravating for me; I have enough stress just living my normal life, and I don’t need a game to add to it. To me, golf is too slow, but not when Tiger plays. I have read that during a tournament when other players are resting, Tiger will take his coach & go to a private spot to practice. Now, that’s passion.
Look at sports stars in any sport & the same thing is true. The truly great ones are always the ones who burn with passion for their sport. I always admired Mohammad Ali because he had passion for boxing. He made me want to watch every fight. There was something about his enthusiasm & passion that captivated me. Basketball legend Michael Jordan is another man who has a passion for his sport that makes him a “star.” All these athletes are people of passion & when you watch them, you feel as though they would play even if they weren’t so handsomely paid.
YOU CAN’T FAKE PASSION!
Nothing is as boring as watching a bunch of stogy old millionaires who are out of steam, running around on a field trying to fake fire when you can just tell their hearts aren’t in it.
What do you think of when you hear the name Bill Gates? You probably think of mega- bucks—but not only that, you think of a man possessed by computer software & how to make it accessible to as many millions as possible. They say in school he was always looking out the windows.
What comes to mind when you think of Kenneth Copeland? I think of a man who is passionate about seeing God’s people become who they are in Him, & passionately pursuing a positive lifestyle—one full of prosperity.
When I see Bishop T. D. Jakes, I see a man who is passionately trying to tell people that nothing can keep them down, & no matter what has happened to them in their lives, God has a place and a plan for them. When I hear Billy Graham, I hear a man who is passionate about getting souls into the Kingdom of God & to experience God’s full and free forgiveness. Again, all of these men are marked by their passion for their message. They reach out to us and pull us in & we are warmed by their fire.
John 2:17 says that Jesus was literally “eaten up” with zeal. The word “zeal” is another word for passion. It’s defined as “Eagerness & ardent interest in the pursuit of something.” When Jesus went into the temple to run the money changers out, He was not mad as some have supposed. If you read the narrative; it says that He took time & “weaved a whip of cords” before going into the temple. A man having a temper fit doesn’t take the time to do that. No doubt Jesus was disturbed, but the Scripture says it was “his passion,” more literally; He was eaten up with zeal & passion for His Father’s house.
Mel Gibson’s 2004 movie, The Passion of the Christ, was one of the all-time great movies—not only financially, but also emotionally. Everyone who saw it was moved because it so accurately depicted the last hours of Christ’s life & His crucifixion. The story of Christ’s passion has changed people throughout the centuries everywhere it’s been told, & one of the main reasons is its passion. All Jesus’ life was moving Him toward the one thing He came to do & that was to die as a substitute for mankind. This He accomplished with such love & passion that the story has literally turned mankind & the world upside down.
One of the things passion is not, for example, is the temporary surge of joy a person gets when he/she has just been hired for a new job that will give him/her more money. Too often after that kind of job has been taken, the good feeling quickly dissipates when the reality of what that job entails sinks in. I couldn’t count the times I’ve heard people say they hated their jobs so much they got physically ill on Sunday night because they had to go back Monday to a job they hated, even though the pay was excellent.
Maybe you left the small job you had because it wasn’t showing the flash you felt you needed, but in truth, it involved something you were passionate about. Now you may have a good-paying job, but the passion isn’t there, & you hate every minute of it. I’m not deprecating good pay or any kind of work, or saying we have to be giddy & in love with every task we do. Gainful employment is necessary, & a person must work to exist. However, the truly happy person is the one who has found his/her life’s work & are so passionate about it that it really doesn’t seem like work.
I heard a baker say one time that he loved his work so much that, to him, it was a romance. He proceeded to say that as long as there was romance in that loaf of bread, he would keep baking bread, but when the romance left, he’d quit. I understood what he meant. Fake zeal may get you through for awhile, but sooner or later, if you’re not doing something you love, the fire will die, & you are left empty. Each of us must find our passion & be true to ourselves, for that is the essence of a “Purpose driven Life.”
PASSION WILL GET YOU THROUGH ADVERSITY.
Paul was struck blind at the moment of his conversion. He also went through shipwrecks, snakebites, beatings, false accusations, lies, slanders, abandonment, stoning, & incarceration, but his testimony was that he was “constrained by the love of Christ.” He had a passionate love for the man he met on the road to Damascus. When you read his writings you feel his devotion to his Lord. He had a strong passion to depart and be with Christ, but he also had a deep desire to stay & do the work God had called him to do. Listen to Paul’s passion in II Corinthians 4:17, For our light affliction which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding & eternal weight of Glory.
Paul also said in 1Cor.8:16, For I am compelled to preach. Woe is me if I preach not the Gospel.
It was the same kind of passion that carried Christ through His sufferings & brought Him through to a glorious resurrection. I can remember my early days in the ministry when my wife and I lived on very little money, but we were doing what we loved. Consequently, we never had a sense of being deprived. I look back at some of those times & wonder how we got through it. We had a burning love for the Lord and His work. The fire burned so hot it never entered our minds that we had very little. God always met the need, but sometimes our “want list” wasn’t totally met. The old timers called it “living on love,” & they were right—the love of a newly-married couple who were passionately in love with the Lord & His work.
PASSION WILL GET YOU PAST WHAT PEOPLE THINK AND SAY.
If we are to get anything done in life we must get victory over the opinions of others. When Nehemiah was rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem, he was opposed in almost every possible way. Think about it: there we people who didn’t want that wall rebuilt, at least not by Nehemiah. Like it or not, there will always be those who oppose you, especially if you exert any kind of leadership. Victory was Nehemiah’s because he had such passion to complete the job that he refused to quit. Listen to what he told his critics in Nehemiah 6:3, And I sent messengers unto them saying I am doing a great work so that I cannot come down; why should the work cease whilst I leave it & come down to you? This is real passion. People even threatened his life & he was forced to take a sword in one hand & a work tool in the other. But nothing stopped Nehemiah.
Think of the three Hebrew boys, as well as Daniel himself in the book of Daniel. They were threatened with death because of their refusal to bow down and worship false Gods. It was their passion for God that caused them to take the stand that we still celebrate thousands of years later. They didn’t care what people thought. Even kings couldn’t force them go against what they knew was right.
In Matthew 9:20 we read about the woman with the issue of blood who was healed when she touched the hem of Jesus’ garment. Jarius, the official who could have had her arrested and executed was standing beside Jesus when she reached out and touched Him. This woman had gotten past her fear of man or anything else because she was so passionate about getting to Jesus. Though others were elbowing & falling against Jesus that day, only this woman touched Him with passion, & it caused Jesus to stop. Jesus was moved by her determination & passionate desire to be healed.
YOUR PASSION WILL GET GOD’S ATTENTION!
In James 5:17-18, we read Elijah was a man subject to like passions as we are, & he prayed earnestly that it might not rain: & it rained not on the earth by the space of three years & six months. And he prayed again &the heaven gave rain, & the earth brought forth her fruit.” Think of the passion his prayers must have possessed—white hot prayers that split the heavens and brought results. God honors this kind of zealous prayer.
When I was fourteen years old, I went to my preacher dad & announced to him that I was going to be making a change. I was no longer going to be “church orientated” or as “church minded as I had been.” Can you imagine a boy doing this? Especially with the kind of dad I had—he would sucker-punch you in a heart beat. But I knew it would be okay, because I had a good attitude, not disrespectful or anything. Very matter-of-factly I gave him that information. I went on to say, in a very calm manner, that I would still be going to church. I knew I had no choice there, & to be truthful, Dad was an interesting preacher, & he always had the best speakers to come speak for us. Church wasn’t all that awful to me. It was just that I was going to be “thinking of other things.”
I had played my guitar at a school assembly & gotten some really good feedback, &, unbeknown st to my folks, I had a plan to go to New York. My big dream was to be on The Arther Godfrey Talent Scouts program. Don’t ask me how I thought I was going to do it, I just was—at least I thought I was. My dad looked at me strangely when I told him of the coming change, but since I had assured him there would really be no appreciable change in my behavior, what else could he say but, “Well, alright son?” Big deal; right? In a day or two it was time to deliver this message to my mother. You’d have to have known her to understand. My mom was, in some ways, liberated long before women’s lib. Not in a sense of usurping my dad’s authority; she’d have died before trying that, but in other ways, you had to watch her. She indeed was a strong woman, & her favorite phrase was said humorously; “I cover every inch of ground I stand on.” Believe me, she did.
I’m not sure, but I believe she originated the kind of spanking that with every stroke she would say a word to let you know why she was beating you. Some of my whippings were like, “You” slap “aren’t” slap “going” slap “to” slap “talk” slap “to me” slap “like” slap “that!” slap, slap, slap. Frankly, I also used that kind of spankings when I raised my three daughters. I got it from Mom. When I told my “good news” to my mother, she looked at me with what I can only describe as a look of hurt, coupled with sadness, sprinkled with a twinge of aggravation. She said, “Son, you may do that if you choose as long as you do it respectfully & don’t break any of the protocol we expect of you, but,” and then her eyes welled up slightly as she continued, “your mother will be praying for you.” I said okay, Mom, & went cheerfully on my way, thinking I had just jumped a major hurdle on my way to full independence.
Well, I didn’t know what I’d just started. My mom began to miss our family meals. She would put her delicious cooking on the table, sit for a moment, excuse herself & disappear. I began to notice that she was losing weight. Her double chin went away. She never once nagged me, she really had no reason to, for I was still the good boy she’d raised—no real problems. The only problem, & I didn’t see this until years later, was that she’d heard her boy, the boy God had given her, (who almost killed her in childbirth—she was in the hospital for two months) say, “I’m not going to be as enthusiastic anymore about church.” Five months went by.
One night I walked down to the corner near our house to get a Coke at the corner store & was gone for only a few minutes. When I walked back into the house, the door to my parents’ bedroom was ajar, & I saw Mom walking the floor, crying & praying quietly. Dad was in the living room, & I went in and sat down and said, “Dad, what’s wrong with Mom?” As if I didn’t know! We talked a little bit, & Dad said, “Son, what you told your mother about your new attitude is killing her.” I again assured him that I wasn’t planning to rebel in a bad way, & I remember Dad saying, “Son, you know your mother; she’s not going to rest until you get your heart right.” I did a little mumbling & retired to my room.
To make a long story short, the next Wednesday night we all went to prayer meeting. I was, as usual, sitting toward the back, trying to look cool & unaffected. Then, as if hit by an object dropping from above my head, I started to weep. I tried to hide it, but the more I did, the more I shook. Can you imagine what that did to my pride, sitting back there trying to be cool & composed, but, instead, shaking & weeping? I don’t remember who was speaking that evening; all I know is that I was begging God to let him quit so I could get out of there. When the altar call was finally given, I got up to run outside. But when I got up to leave the pew, my feet turned toward the altar. I was “busted.”
I surprised myself, & I know I surprised the rest of the church as I, for the first time in months, made a beeline for the altar. We often throw terms around like “hitting the altar,” or “grabbing the altar,” but I did all of them & more. My parents immediately saw what was happening and also made a beeline to that altar, one on each side. It didn’t take long for three small puddles of tears to amalgamate into one large puddle on that altar as I wept& prayed my way back to God. If you’re familiar with my song, Touching Jesus, the second verse was written about that night. “Well, I was bound when I knelt at that old altar, but they said Jesus could meet my every need, & when this prisoner finally touched Jesus, I was free, praise the Lord, free indeed.”
I fully believe that if my mother hadn’t prayed, & prayed passionately & fervently, no doubt I would have followed those desires of my youthful heart, & within a short time been involved in unhealthy pursuits that would have probably spelled my ruin.
The great pastor & trainer of young preachers, Charles Spurgeon said the following to young men aspiring to the ministry,
“Don’t enter the ministry if you can help it. If you can be a Farmer, a Doctor, a Lawyer, a news paper publisher a Senator or King, in the name of heaven, do it. Unless of course the Word of the Lord is “fire shut up in your bones.” If you do not have passion, you shall be unhappy in the ministry.”
Let’s use the analogy of charcoal & fire. Charcoal is a good thing to have, but it must wait for the fire to come to it before it can be of any use. Are you, like a piece of charcoal, waiting for someone else’s fire to heat you, or are you burning with your own fire & passion? I believe that passion, zeal, fervency & enthusiasm make the difference in whether our lives truly count. Without passion we compromise & settle for mediocrity.
Think of the vision of the person you really desire to be. Look at your most treasured aspirations & what you in your heart of hearts are passionate about. What is it that you want to accomplish before you die? Look now at the people with whom you are spending your time, the books you are reading, your dominate thoughts, & the way you spend your time. Are your daily actions in line with the person you truly you want to become? Is everything you are involved with in alignment with that passion? Are you willing to make whatever changes necessary to see those dreams come to fruition? If so, start today bringing these things into sync in your life. Are you boiling & burning with passion about anything? Are people being drawn to you to be inspired & to draw energy from your fire?
• Do you have something in your life that fully captures & engages your mind?
• Do you have something in your life that’s giving you the opportunity to make a contribution to God & others?
• Are you involved in an enterprise that is causing you to aim higher & is giving you a shot at excellence in something?
• Are you laboring in an area where you can constantly improve your skills?
• Do you have a feeling that your passion will enable you to leave your own unique mark on this world?
• Have you thought much about how you want to be remembered?
• If someone woke you in the middle of the night & asked you to tell them your passion, how long would it take you to give them a simple answer?
The most important two questions we all must answer in life are,
1) Who will you serve? &
2) Where will you spend eternity?
AFTER THOSE QUESTIONS ARE ANSWERED, THERE’S NO MORE IMPORTANT QUESTION THAN; WHAT IS YOUR PASSION?
John
I’m not asking you if you like chicken wings or quiet walks on the beach.
I’m asking, “What is your passion?” What pulls you out of bed in the morning & keeps you going when there’s very little in the outward circumstance to encourage you? What can make you voluntarily burn the midnight oil? What would you do without getting paid? What would you sacrifice blood sweat & tears for?
I’m talking about hunger, thirst, desire, fire, passion & a drive for meaning & achievement in life.
One dictionary defines passion as “Intense, driven, overmastering feeling of conviction, ardent affection, devotion to some activity, deep desire or interest.”
PASSION comes from the Greek word Pascho which means “to suffer,” or “to sacrifice,” & is a requirement if we are to be truly successful at any enterprise. There must be a “fire in the belly” that will catapult us past all the impediments that life throws at us.
When you think of successful people in any field, you automatically think of passion. One of my favorite sports figures is Tiger Woods. Tiger’s late father, who was a man passionate about golf, started exposing Tiger to the game of golf at the age of three. Tiger’s dad would take him out to practice every day for two hours. The passion his father had rubbed off on Tiger, & he actually lived to totally transform the game. Tiger even got me interested in the game! I can now sit and watch it for hours on end when before, I couldn’t stand the tedium of it. Also, golf is too aggravating for me; I have enough stress just living my normal life, and I don’t need a game to add to it. To me, golf is too slow, but not when Tiger plays. I have read that during a tournament when other players are resting, Tiger will take his coach & go to a private spot to practice. Now, that’s passion.
Look at sports stars in any sport & the same thing is true. The truly great ones are always the ones who burn with passion for their sport. I always admired Mohammad Ali because he had passion for boxing. He made me want to watch every fight. There was something about his enthusiasm & passion that captivated me. Basketball legend Michael Jordan is another man who has a passion for his sport that makes him a “star.” All these athletes are people of passion & when you watch them, you feel as though they would play even if they weren’t so handsomely paid.
YOU CAN’T FAKE PASSION!
Nothing is as boring as watching a bunch of stogy old millionaires who are out of steam, running around on a field trying to fake fire when you can just tell their hearts aren’t in it.
What do you think of when you hear the name Bill Gates? You probably think of mega- bucks—but not only that, you think of a man possessed by computer software & how to make it accessible to as many millions as possible. They say in school he was always looking out the windows.
What comes to mind when you think of Kenneth Copeland? I think of a man who is passionate about seeing God’s people become who they are in Him, & passionately pursuing a positive lifestyle—one full of prosperity.
When I see Bishop T. D. Jakes, I see a man who is passionately trying to tell people that nothing can keep them down, & no matter what has happened to them in their lives, God has a place and a plan for them. When I hear Billy Graham, I hear a man who is passionate about getting souls into the Kingdom of God & to experience God’s full and free forgiveness. Again, all of these men are marked by their passion for their message. They reach out to us and pull us in & we are warmed by their fire.
John 2:17 says that Jesus was literally “eaten up” with zeal. The word “zeal” is another word for passion. It’s defined as “Eagerness & ardent interest in the pursuit of something.” When Jesus went into the temple to run the money changers out, He was not mad as some have supposed. If you read the narrative; it says that He took time & “weaved a whip of cords” before going into the temple. A man having a temper fit doesn’t take the time to do that. No doubt Jesus was disturbed, but the Scripture says it was “his passion,” more literally; He was eaten up with zeal & passion for His Father’s house.
Mel Gibson’s 2004 movie, The Passion of the Christ, was one of the all-time great movies—not only financially, but also emotionally. Everyone who saw it was moved because it so accurately depicted the last hours of Christ’s life & His crucifixion. The story of Christ’s passion has changed people throughout the centuries everywhere it’s been told, & one of the main reasons is its passion. All Jesus’ life was moving Him toward the one thing He came to do & that was to die as a substitute for mankind. This He accomplished with such love & passion that the story has literally turned mankind & the world upside down.
One of the things passion is not, for example, is the temporary surge of joy a person gets when he/she has just been hired for a new job that will give him/her more money. Too often after that kind of job has been taken, the good feeling quickly dissipates when the reality of what that job entails sinks in. I couldn’t count the times I’ve heard people say they hated their jobs so much they got physically ill on Sunday night because they had to go back Monday to a job they hated, even though the pay was excellent.
Maybe you left the small job you had because it wasn’t showing the flash you felt you needed, but in truth, it involved something you were passionate about. Now you may have a good-paying job, but the passion isn’t there, & you hate every minute of it. I’m not deprecating good pay or any kind of work, or saying we have to be giddy & in love with every task we do. Gainful employment is necessary, & a person must work to exist. However, the truly happy person is the one who has found his/her life’s work & are so passionate about it that it really doesn’t seem like work.
I heard a baker say one time that he loved his work so much that, to him, it was a romance. He proceeded to say that as long as there was romance in that loaf of bread, he would keep baking bread, but when the romance left, he’d quit. I understood what he meant. Fake zeal may get you through for awhile, but sooner or later, if you’re not doing something you love, the fire will die, & you are left empty. Each of us must find our passion & be true to ourselves, for that is the essence of a “Purpose driven Life.”
PASSION WILL GET YOU THROUGH ADVERSITY.
Paul was struck blind at the moment of his conversion. He also went through shipwrecks, snakebites, beatings, false accusations, lies, slanders, abandonment, stoning, & incarceration, but his testimony was that he was “constrained by the love of Christ.” He had a passionate love for the man he met on the road to Damascus. When you read his writings you feel his devotion to his Lord. He had a strong passion to depart and be with Christ, but he also had a deep desire to stay & do the work God had called him to do. Listen to Paul’s passion in II Corinthians 4:17, For our light affliction which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding & eternal weight of Glory.
Paul also said in 1Cor.8:16, For I am compelled to preach. Woe is me if I preach not the Gospel.
It was the same kind of passion that carried Christ through His sufferings & brought Him through to a glorious resurrection. I can remember my early days in the ministry when my wife and I lived on very little money, but we were doing what we loved. Consequently, we never had a sense of being deprived. I look back at some of those times & wonder how we got through it. We had a burning love for the Lord and His work. The fire burned so hot it never entered our minds that we had very little. God always met the need, but sometimes our “want list” wasn’t totally met. The old timers called it “living on love,” & they were right—the love of a newly-married couple who were passionately in love with the Lord & His work.
PASSION WILL GET YOU PAST WHAT PEOPLE THINK AND SAY.
If we are to get anything done in life we must get victory over the opinions of others. When Nehemiah was rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem, he was opposed in almost every possible way. Think about it: there we people who didn’t want that wall rebuilt, at least not by Nehemiah. Like it or not, there will always be those who oppose you, especially if you exert any kind of leadership. Victory was Nehemiah’s because he had such passion to complete the job that he refused to quit. Listen to what he told his critics in Nehemiah 6:3, And I sent messengers unto them saying I am doing a great work so that I cannot come down; why should the work cease whilst I leave it & come down to you? This is real passion. People even threatened his life & he was forced to take a sword in one hand & a work tool in the other. But nothing stopped Nehemiah.
Think of the three Hebrew boys, as well as Daniel himself in the book of Daniel. They were threatened with death because of their refusal to bow down and worship false Gods. It was their passion for God that caused them to take the stand that we still celebrate thousands of years later. They didn’t care what people thought. Even kings couldn’t force them go against what they knew was right.
In Matthew 9:20 we read about the woman with the issue of blood who was healed when she touched the hem of Jesus’ garment. Jarius, the official who could have had her arrested and executed was standing beside Jesus when she reached out and touched Him. This woman had gotten past her fear of man or anything else because she was so passionate about getting to Jesus. Though others were elbowing & falling against Jesus that day, only this woman touched Him with passion, & it caused Jesus to stop. Jesus was moved by her determination & passionate desire to be healed.
YOUR PASSION WILL GET GOD’S ATTENTION!
In James 5:17-18, we read Elijah was a man subject to like passions as we are, & he prayed earnestly that it might not rain: & it rained not on the earth by the space of three years & six months. And he prayed again &the heaven gave rain, & the earth brought forth her fruit.” Think of the passion his prayers must have possessed—white hot prayers that split the heavens and brought results. God honors this kind of zealous prayer.
When I was fourteen years old, I went to my preacher dad & announced to him that I was going to be making a change. I was no longer going to be “church orientated” or as “church minded as I had been.” Can you imagine a boy doing this? Especially with the kind of dad I had—he would sucker-punch you in a heart beat. But I knew it would be okay, because I had a good attitude, not disrespectful or anything. Very matter-of-factly I gave him that information. I went on to say, in a very calm manner, that I would still be going to church. I knew I had no choice there, & to be truthful, Dad was an interesting preacher, & he always had the best speakers to come speak for us. Church wasn’t all that awful to me. It was just that I was going to be “thinking of other things.”
I had played my guitar at a school assembly & gotten some really good feedback, &, unbeknown st to my folks, I had a plan to go to New York. My big dream was to be on The Arther Godfrey Talent Scouts program. Don’t ask me how I thought I was going to do it, I just was—at least I thought I was. My dad looked at me strangely when I told him of the coming change, but since I had assured him there would really be no appreciable change in my behavior, what else could he say but, “Well, alright son?” Big deal; right? In a day or two it was time to deliver this message to my mother. You’d have to have known her to understand. My mom was, in some ways, liberated long before women’s lib. Not in a sense of usurping my dad’s authority; she’d have died before trying that, but in other ways, you had to watch her. She indeed was a strong woman, & her favorite phrase was said humorously; “I cover every inch of ground I stand on.” Believe me, she did.
I’m not sure, but I believe she originated the kind of spanking that with every stroke she would say a word to let you know why she was beating you. Some of my whippings were like, “You” slap “aren’t” slap “going” slap “to” slap “talk” slap “to me” slap “like” slap “that!” slap, slap, slap. Frankly, I also used that kind of spankings when I raised my three daughters. I got it from Mom. When I told my “good news” to my mother, she looked at me with what I can only describe as a look of hurt, coupled with sadness, sprinkled with a twinge of aggravation. She said, “Son, you may do that if you choose as long as you do it respectfully & don’t break any of the protocol we expect of you, but,” and then her eyes welled up slightly as she continued, “your mother will be praying for you.” I said okay, Mom, & went cheerfully on my way, thinking I had just jumped a major hurdle on my way to full independence.
Well, I didn’t know what I’d just started. My mom began to miss our family meals. She would put her delicious cooking on the table, sit for a moment, excuse herself & disappear. I began to notice that she was losing weight. Her double chin went away. She never once nagged me, she really had no reason to, for I was still the good boy she’d raised—no real problems. The only problem, & I didn’t see this until years later, was that she’d heard her boy, the boy God had given her, (who almost killed her in childbirth—she was in the hospital for two months) say, “I’m not going to be as enthusiastic anymore about church.” Five months went by.
One night I walked down to the corner near our house to get a Coke at the corner store & was gone for only a few minutes. When I walked back into the house, the door to my parents’ bedroom was ajar, & I saw Mom walking the floor, crying & praying quietly. Dad was in the living room, & I went in and sat down and said, “Dad, what’s wrong with Mom?” As if I didn’t know! We talked a little bit, & Dad said, “Son, what you told your mother about your new attitude is killing her.” I again assured him that I wasn’t planning to rebel in a bad way, & I remember Dad saying, “Son, you know your mother; she’s not going to rest until you get your heart right.” I did a little mumbling & retired to my room.
To make a long story short, the next Wednesday night we all went to prayer meeting. I was, as usual, sitting toward the back, trying to look cool & unaffected. Then, as if hit by an object dropping from above my head, I started to weep. I tried to hide it, but the more I did, the more I shook. Can you imagine what that did to my pride, sitting back there trying to be cool & composed, but, instead, shaking & weeping? I don’t remember who was speaking that evening; all I know is that I was begging God to let him quit so I could get out of there. When the altar call was finally given, I got up to run outside. But when I got up to leave the pew, my feet turned toward the altar. I was “busted.”
I surprised myself, & I know I surprised the rest of the church as I, for the first time in months, made a beeline for the altar. We often throw terms around like “hitting the altar,” or “grabbing the altar,” but I did all of them & more. My parents immediately saw what was happening and also made a beeline to that altar, one on each side. It didn’t take long for three small puddles of tears to amalgamate into one large puddle on that altar as I wept& prayed my way back to God. If you’re familiar with my song, Touching Jesus, the second verse was written about that night. “Well, I was bound when I knelt at that old altar, but they said Jesus could meet my every need, & when this prisoner finally touched Jesus, I was free, praise the Lord, free indeed.”
I fully believe that if my mother hadn’t prayed, & prayed passionately & fervently, no doubt I would have followed those desires of my youthful heart, & within a short time been involved in unhealthy pursuits that would have probably spelled my ruin.
The great pastor & trainer of young preachers, Charles Spurgeon said the following to young men aspiring to the ministry,
“Don’t enter the ministry if you can help it. If you can be a Farmer, a Doctor, a Lawyer, a news paper publisher a Senator or King, in the name of heaven, do it. Unless of course the Word of the Lord is “fire shut up in your bones.” If you do not have passion, you shall be unhappy in the ministry.”
Let’s use the analogy of charcoal & fire. Charcoal is a good thing to have, but it must wait for the fire to come to it before it can be of any use. Are you, like a piece of charcoal, waiting for someone else’s fire to heat you, or are you burning with your own fire & passion? I believe that passion, zeal, fervency & enthusiasm make the difference in whether our lives truly count. Without passion we compromise & settle for mediocrity.
Think of the vision of the person you really desire to be. Look at your most treasured aspirations & what you in your heart of hearts are passionate about. What is it that you want to accomplish before you die? Look now at the people with whom you are spending your time, the books you are reading, your dominate thoughts, & the way you spend your time. Are your daily actions in line with the person you truly you want to become? Is everything you are involved with in alignment with that passion? Are you willing to make whatever changes necessary to see those dreams come to fruition? If so, start today bringing these things into sync in your life. Are you boiling & burning with passion about anything? Are people being drawn to you to be inspired & to draw energy from your fire?
• Do you have something in your life that fully captures & engages your mind?
• Do you have something in your life that’s giving you the opportunity to make a contribution to God & others?
• Are you involved in an enterprise that is causing you to aim higher & is giving you a shot at excellence in something?
• Are you laboring in an area where you can constantly improve your skills?
• Do you have a feeling that your passion will enable you to leave your own unique mark on this world?
• Have you thought much about how you want to be remembered?
• If someone woke you in the middle of the night & asked you to tell them your passion, how long would it take you to give them a simple answer?
The most important two questions we all must answer in life are,
1) Who will you serve? &
2) Where will you spend eternity?
AFTER THOSE QUESTIONS ARE ANSWERED, THERE’S NO MORE IMPORTANT QUESTION THAN; WHAT IS YOUR PASSION?
John
Saturday, August 18, 2007
The one sure proof of saving faith.
By John Stallings
And he fell down on his face, at his feet, giving him thanks. Luke 17:11
I once read the story of a young Canadian student in 1860 who was awakened one night by the sound of two ships colliding. His name was Ed Spencer. He jumped out of bed, saw the situation and being a strong swimmer, jumped in and started swimming out to the rescue. Many passengers of those ships died that night but Ed’s willingness to risk his life saved seventeen of them.
Ed suffered from paralysis after that night and wasn’t able to complete his studies, basically becoming an invalid for the rest of his life. Years later, now an old man living in California, Ed was interviewed by a Los Angeles paper and asked what he recalled about the rescue. “Only this” replied Ed, “of the seventeen I saved, not one of them ever thanked me.”
Someone has said, “Of all the emotions we human beings experience, gratitude is the hardest for us to feel.”
A SIMPLE ENOUGH STORY, WITH A FAMILIAR RING
Luke 17:11-19 tells the story of ten men suffering from leprosy that Jesus healed and sent on their way. One turns back, happy and thankful to Jesus. But Jesus asks, “Were there not ten cleansed? Where are the nine?” Can none be found to return and give Glory to God except this outsider?” Message Bible.—
This sounds so eerily familiar that it reminds us of one of our first childhood lessons; “What do say when you’re given something? Thank you. Okay, good for you.
I often wonder when reading this story, was Jesus upset, surprised, amazed or disappointed; or maybe a combination of them all.
THERE ARE AT LEAST FIVE BOXES IN THIS STORY.
1. THE BOX OF LEPROSY.
We know enough about leprosy to know it’s a dirty disease, a horrible flesh eating sickness and no one can recover from it. In Bible days a person infected with the disease had to give up home and family and live outside the social matrix because of its contagious nature. The physical suffering was compounded by the fact that lepers were social exiles, they were forever unclean.
Lepers were boxed in, not only by the disease, but because of its contagious nature, they were considered ritually unclean. A leper was allowed no contact with non-lepers, and that’s why, in this story, the lepers “stood at a distance” when they called out to Jesus. They stood far off like wounded animals with rags wrapped around their hands. Others had their feet wrapped up with pieces of cloth. They could stay just close enough to society to allow them to beg, as long as they cried loudly, unclean, unclean, unclean.
Think what it would be like to have leprosy. It’s hard to think about. Imagine the waiting, the hoping, wondering how long it will take and how much suffering will be experienced before death.
There was a very famous leper in the Old Testament named Naaman. His story is in 2 Kings 5.Naaman was boxed in by pride and anger and almost lost his miracle because of it. He finally dipped seven times in a muddy little river, quiet beneath his dignity, but his obedience enabled him to escape the terrible box of leprosy.
2. THE RACIAL BOX.
We are not told specifically if the non-returning lepers were Jews, but the fact that Jesus makes much of the tenth and thankful leper being a “foreigner” or Samaritan, seems to imply it. Also the fact that the Jews and Samaritans fraternize in this story is in itself an “out-of-the-box” experience. It’s also out-of-the-box for a Samaritan to be willing to come back and thank a Jewish healer.
3. THERE WAS THE GEOGRAPHICAL BOX.
We know that Jesus tried to avoid traveling through Samaria, yet here is Jesus, Luke tells us, in “the region between Samaria and Galilee.” Jesus was skirting the borderlands, the in-between area that doesn’t fit neatly in any geographical box.
4. JESUS STEPPED OUTSIDE THE HEALING BOX HERE.
Jesus usually healed with a touch, but in this case He didn’t. As a matter of fact, He didn’t pray, He didn’t pronounce their healing; He did very little except to tell the lepers to go show themselves to the priest. The priests controlled most everything in those days.
They even functioned as health inspectors. As the lepers started to go at Jesus’ instruction, they noticed that their sores and wounds were drying up, and their blemishes began to disappear. With every step they took they felt stronger, younger, and more energetic. When they rounded the final turn on the way to the village, they were completely healed. It must have been an incredible walk for them.
Think of it—after all their suffering, all of the sudden at the word of a stranger, their loneliness, pain and banishment began to evaporate. In a matter of moments they all had the clean, healthy, supple skin of a baby.
5. THIS STORY IS OUTSIDE MANY PEOPLE’S THEOLOGICAL BOX.
I have talked to people who didn’t believe in miracles. They however usually weren’t sick. I’ve never seen a person who was desperate and needed a miracle who would say miracles can’t happen. Jesus spent two-thirds of His time while on earth, healing people that were going to die someday anyway, and he did it because it was his nature to heal. Have you ever been sick and gotten well? If the answer is yes, then certainly you have experienced healing. We call that natural healing. But if something untoward happens and natural healing breaks down, then there’s divine; or supernatural healing.
I’d rather have divine health than divine healing. I’d rather thank God I didn’t break my leg than to break it, and thank God for healing it. Sometimes there is healing when God “bends time” and speeds up a natural process. Others are creative miracles. Nothing is too hard for God.
NINE WAYS TO SAY “NO THANKS
What if a newspaper of that day had gone to do a story on these nine lepers who didn’t return to thank Jesus? What if it had been learned, through hard journalistic digging, that all the lepers had very good reasons to say “no thanks?” Imagine them gathered in one room and the reporter asking for their side of this story. Let’s first talk to leper, Jim.
1. JIM, what happened to you after Jesus healed you of leprosy? Jim might reply, “Well, I guess I wanted to wait for just a little while longer to see if the cure was real and was going to last. After all, there’s a little thing called “remission” you know. And by the time I realized the healing was the real thing, Jesus was dead.
2. JACK. And how about you jack? “Well I started to wonder if I had ever had leprosy. Whatever I had was much improved so I really didn’t give it much more thought.
3. JASON. “And you Jason, why didn’t you return? “Well, I was grateful for the cure but I had to take my son to his baseball game that day. I have been so busy lately, you wouldn’t believe it. You know now-a-days, I don’t know where the time goes.” And another thing, I was very anxious to just get back to my old life, my old routine.
4. LYLE was next to speak; “I didn’t know we were supposed to return to thank Jesus. I was just following instructions. You know, Jesus told us to go and show ourselves to the priest and that’s what I did. As lepers, we’ve become so used to following orders that we really just do as we’re told. And another thing, when Jesus told us to go, our feet started to move before our minds could think about it. We lepers move, eat, sleep, and speak according to instructions with little choice in the matter.
5. TIM “Tim, can you tell us why you never returned to thank Jesus for your cure?"-- " Well, I once took a psychological behavioral test to show me what personality type I was, and would you believe, I’m a procrastinator? Yeah, that’s right, and also the test said that we procrastinators are indecisive, tentative, and I found I have a touch of ADD. Hey, look at that bird up in the sky."
6—9. THE LAST FOUR lepers were Deaf leper, who loved music, Leper-Con, he was Irish, Spotted leper; strange name I know, but his healing caused him to have an identity crisis. He’d been a leper so long he wasn’t prepared to change. He was so at home with lepers that he couldn’t readjust.
The ninth leper sent word that he highly resented being labeled ungrateful, simply because he conformed to the traditional way of expressing his thanks; in the Temple, before the priest, just like Jesus instructed. He also wanted to go on record that he felt a sense of “entitlement” to the better things in life, and added that it was about time God answered his prayers.
The leper who returned teaches us, by his actions, to be more spontaneous with our gratitude. Luke said that he was “praising God with a loud voice.” In fact, the ex-leper fell on his face before Jesus. He was completely carried away and beside himself with joy and happiness. He felt like dancing a jig and shouting from the housetops. He was so excited that he didn’t even take time to have his healing verified by the priest, he was so anxious to thank this stranger.
He didn’t show up at the interview because he was so busy telling people what Jesus had done, he didn’t feel he could spare the time. He said he was so ecstatic he wasn’t in any shape to answer questions, even a year later.
Sometimes it’s good to throw away the restraints and let yourself be carried away with gratitude and joy.
A SENSE OF URGENCY CHANGES US IN REGARDS TO GRATITUDE.
Most of us find it easy to stay inside the box, playing it safe and following directions until something earthshaking happens. At those times, we find it comfortable to throw off restraints. We seem more inclined to give gratitude free rein when we feel a sense of urgency. People stand up at funerals and weddings and shock others with their free-flowing expressions of love and praise.
If a person is diagnosed with cancer, they are quick to begin telling the people they love how much they love them. Now time is of the essence, so they do it, now. Most of us would agree that we shouldn’t operate like this, but being human we do.
I truly believe that our lives would become almost heaven on earth if we would integrate gratitude and praise, not only to God but to one another into our everyday lives. If you think I’m wrong, ask yourself, have you ever grown tired of being loved, thanked and appreciated?
HERE ARE SOME THINGS THIS STORY TEACHES US.
God reminds us that if we don’t cultivate gratitude, it will take more and more to make us grateful.
Jesus would also remind us of some of the things for which HE gave thanks.
• He gave thanks for 5 loaves and 2 fishes, before He multiplied them to feed a multitude.
• He gave thanks for the bread and wine He ate with His disciples before His death, even though He said they were symbolic of His broken body and shed blood.
• He gave thanks to His father at the tomb of Lazarus, just for hearing His prayer.
One last thing in this story is found in Luke 17:19. Jesus told the returning leper, “Arise and go thy way, thy faith hath made thee whole.”
The returning leper received a gift the other nine missed out on and that was “wholeness” for body, mind, soul and spirit. He not only received healing, he received wholeness, or salvation.
Gratitude is the surest sign of saving faith.
If this seems hard for you to believe, then go out tomorrow & try to live the Christian life without gratitude & a sense of thanksgiving for His presence in your life, without the freedom which comes from knowing that He is present in your actions to do what you can’t do.
Try to live out His instructions for your life without the gratitude & the strength it brings & your life will be anything but a shining example of good news.
Blessings,
John
And he fell down on his face, at his feet, giving him thanks. Luke 17:11
I once read the story of a young Canadian student in 1860 who was awakened one night by the sound of two ships colliding. His name was Ed Spencer. He jumped out of bed, saw the situation and being a strong swimmer, jumped in and started swimming out to the rescue. Many passengers of those ships died that night but Ed’s willingness to risk his life saved seventeen of them.
Ed suffered from paralysis after that night and wasn’t able to complete his studies, basically becoming an invalid for the rest of his life. Years later, now an old man living in California, Ed was interviewed by a Los Angeles paper and asked what he recalled about the rescue. “Only this” replied Ed, “of the seventeen I saved, not one of them ever thanked me.”
Someone has said, “Of all the emotions we human beings experience, gratitude is the hardest for us to feel.”
A SIMPLE ENOUGH STORY, WITH A FAMILIAR RING
Luke 17:11-19 tells the story of ten men suffering from leprosy that Jesus healed and sent on their way. One turns back, happy and thankful to Jesus. But Jesus asks, “Were there not ten cleansed? Where are the nine?” Can none be found to return and give Glory to God except this outsider?” Message Bible.—
This sounds so eerily familiar that it reminds us of one of our first childhood lessons; “What do say when you’re given something? Thank you. Okay, good for you.
I often wonder when reading this story, was Jesus upset, surprised, amazed or disappointed; or maybe a combination of them all.
THERE ARE AT LEAST FIVE BOXES IN THIS STORY.
1. THE BOX OF LEPROSY.
We know enough about leprosy to know it’s a dirty disease, a horrible flesh eating sickness and no one can recover from it. In Bible days a person infected with the disease had to give up home and family and live outside the social matrix because of its contagious nature. The physical suffering was compounded by the fact that lepers were social exiles, they were forever unclean.
Lepers were boxed in, not only by the disease, but because of its contagious nature, they were considered ritually unclean. A leper was allowed no contact with non-lepers, and that’s why, in this story, the lepers “stood at a distance” when they called out to Jesus. They stood far off like wounded animals with rags wrapped around their hands. Others had their feet wrapped up with pieces of cloth. They could stay just close enough to society to allow them to beg, as long as they cried loudly, unclean, unclean, unclean.
Think what it would be like to have leprosy. It’s hard to think about. Imagine the waiting, the hoping, wondering how long it will take and how much suffering will be experienced before death.
There was a very famous leper in the Old Testament named Naaman. His story is in 2 Kings 5.Naaman was boxed in by pride and anger and almost lost his miracle because of it. He finally dipped seven times in a muddy little river, quiet beneath his dignity, but his obedience enabled him to escape the terrible box of leprosy.
2. THE RACIAL BOX.
We are not told specifically if the non-returning lepers were Jews, but the fact that Jesus makes much of the tenth and thankful leper being a “foreigner” or Samaritan, seems to imply it. Also the fact that the Jews and Samaritans fraternize in this story is in itself an “out-of-the-box” experience. It’s also out-of-the-box for a Samaritan to be willing to come back and thank a Jewish healer.
3. THERE WAS THE GEOGRAPHICAL BOX.
We know that Jesus tried to avoid traveling through Samaria, yet here is Jesus, Luke tells us, in “the region between Samaria and Galilee.” Jesus was skirting the borderlands, the in-between area that doesn’t fit neatly in any geographical box.
4. JESUS STEPPED OUTSIDE THE HEALING BOX HERE.
Jesus usually healed with a touch, but in this case He didn’t. As a matter of fact, He didn’t pray, He didn’t pronounce their healing; He did very little except to tell the lepers to go show themselves to the priest. The priests controlled most everything in those days.
They even functioned as health inspectors. As the lepers started to go at Jesus’ instruction, they noticed that their sores and wounds were drying up, and their blemishes began to disappear. With every step they took they felt stronger, younger, and more energetic. When they rounded the final turn on the way to the village, they were completely healed. It must have been an incredible walk for them.
Think of it—after all their suffering, all of the sudden at the word of a stranger, their loneliness, pain and banishment began to evaporate. In a matter of moments they all had the clean, healthy, supple skin of a baby.
5. THIS STORY IS OUTSIDE MANY PEOPLE’S THEOLOGICAL BOX.
I have talked to people who didn’t believe in miracles. They however usually weren’t sick. I’ve never seen a person who was desperate and needed a miracle who would say miracles can’t happen. Jesus spent two-thirds of His time while on earth, healing people that were going to die someday anyway, and he did it because it was his nature to heal. Have you ever been sick and gotten well? If the answer is yes, then certainly you have experienced healing. We call that natural healing. But if something untoward happens and natural healing breaks down, then there’s divine; or supernatural healing.
I’d rather have divine health than divine healing. I’d rather thank God I didn’t break my leg than to break it, and thank God for healing it. Sometimes there is healing when God “bends time” and speeds up a natural process. Others are creative miracles. Nothing is too hard for God.
NINE WAYS TO SAY “NO THANKS
What if a newspaper of that day had gone to do a story on these nine lepers who didn’t return to thank Jesus? What if it had been learned, through hard journalistic digging, that all the lepers had very good reasons to say “no thanks?” Imagine them gathered in one room and the reporter asking for their side of this story. Let’s first talk to leper, Jim.
1. JIM, what happened to you after Jesus healed you of leprosy? Jim might reply, “Well, I guess I wanted to wait for just a little while longer to see if the cure was real and was going to last. After all, there’s a little thing called “remission” you know. And by the time I realized the healing was the real thing, Jesus was dead.
2. JACK. And how about you jack? “Well I started to wonder if I had ever had leprosy. Whatever I had was much improved so I really didn’t give it much more thought.
3. JASON. “And you Jason, why didn’t you return? “Well, I was grateful for the cure but I had to take my son to his baseball game that day. I have been so busy lately, you wouldn’t believe it. You know now-a-days, I don’t know where the time goes.” And another thing, I was very anxious to just get back to my old life, my old routine.
4. LYLE was next to speak; “I didn’t know we were supposed to return to thank Jesus. I was just following instructions. You know, Jesus told us to go and show ourselves to the priest and that’s what I did. As lepers, we’ve become so used to following orders that we really just do as we’re told. And another thing, when Jesus told us to go, our feet started to move before our minds could think about it. We lepers move, eat, sleep, and speak according to instructions with little choice in the matter.
5. TIM “Tim, can you tell us why you never returned to thank Jesus for your cure?"-- " Well, I once took a psychological behavioral test to show me what personality type I was, and would you believe, I’m a procrastinator? Yeah, that’s right, and also the test said that we procrastinators are indecisive, tentative, and I found I have a touch of ADD. Hey, look at that bird up in the sky."
6—9. THE LAST FOUR lepers were Deaf leper, who loved music, Leper-Con, he was Irish, Spotted leper; strange name I know, but his healing caused him to have an identity crisis. He’d been a leper so long he wasn’t prepared to change. He was so at home with lepers that he couldn’t readjust.
The ninth leper sent word that he highly resented being labeled ungrateful, simply because he conformed to the traditional way of expressing his thanks; in the Temple, before the priest, just like Jesus instructed. He also wanted to go on record that he felt a sense of “entitlement” to the better things in life, and added that it was about time God answered his prayers.
The leper who returned teaches us, by his actions, to be more spontaneous with our gratitude. Luke said that he was “praising God with a loud voice.” In fact, the ex-leper fell on his face before Jesus. He was completely carried away and beside himself with joy and happiness. He felt like dancing a jig and shouting from the housetops. He was so excited that he didn’t even take time to have his healing verified by the priest, he was so anxious to thank this stranger.
He didn’t show up at the interview because he was so busy telling people what Jesus had done, he didn’t feel he could spare the time. He said he was so ecstatic he wasn’t in any shape to answer questions, even a year later.
Sometimes it’s good to throw away the restraints and let yourself be carried away with gratitude and joy.
A SENSE OF URGENCY CHANGES US IN REGARDS TO GRATITUDE.
Most of us find it easy to stay inside the box, playing it safe and following directions until something earthshaking happens. At those times, we find it comfortable to throw off restraints. We seem more inclined to give gratitude free rein when we feel a sense of urgency. People stand up at funerals and weddings and shock others with their free-flowing expressions of love and praise.
If a person is diagnosed with cancer, they are quick to begin telling the people they love how much they love them. Now time is of the essence, so they do it, now. Most of us would agree that we shouldn’t operate like this, but being human we do.
I truly believe that our lives would become almost heaven on earth if we would integrate gratitude and praise, not only to God but to one another into our everyday lives. If you think I’m wrong, ask yourself, have you ever grown tired of being loved, thanked and appreciated?
HERE ARE SOME THINGS THIS STORY TEACHES US.
God reminds us that if we don’t cultivate gratitude, it will take more and more to make us grateful.
Jesus would also remind us of some of the things for which HE gave thanks.
• He gave thanks for 5 loaves and 2 fishes, before He multiplied them to feed a multitude.
• He gave thanks for the bread and wine He ate with His disciples before His death, even though He said they were symbolic of His broken body and shed blood.
• He gave thanks to His father at the tomb of Lazarus, just for hearing His prayer.
One last thing in this story is found in Luke 17:19. Jesus told the returning leper, “Arise and go thy way, thy faith hath made thee whole.”
The returning leper received a gift the other nine missed out on and that was “wholeness” for body, mind, soul and spirit. He not only received healing, he received wholeness, or salvation.
Gratitude is the surest sign of saving faith.
If this seems hard for you to believe, then go out tomorrow & try to live the Christian life without gratitude & a sense of thanksgiving for His presence in your life, without the freedom which comes from knowing that He is present in your actions to do what you can’t do.
Try to live out His instructions for your life without the gratitude & the strength it brings & your life will be anything but a shining example of good news.
Blessings,
John
Friday, August 17, 2007
Ready to drop
by John Stallings
We think you ought to know, dear brothers and sisters, about the trouble we went through in the province of Asia. We were crushed and overwhelmed beyond our ability to endure, and we thought we would never live through it.
Do you recognize the words above? They are the words of none other than the great apostle Paul, in 2 Corinthians 1:8—NLT.
It sounds like Paul was ready to drop doesn’t it? Have you ever been there? I don’t know who said these words, “Doing the work of God is good but doing the will of God is much better,” but I love them.
I heard about a man who ordered flowers for his deceased father & when the beautiful spray of flowers arrived at the funeral home the card attached read “Enjoy your trip.” It was obviously a mix-up at the florist so the man called to chew the people out who were responsible for the fluke.
The florist shop worker, trying to defuse the situation told the man, “Sir, this isn’t so bad, somewhere in town at another funeral home is a spray of flowers with an attached card that reads, “Congratulations on your new location.” It sounds like fatigue & burn-out can happen even to people who work with flowers for a living.
Listen to these words In Philippians 2:25-30; --Yet I supposed it necessary to send to you Epaphroditus, my brother & companion in labor, & fellow soldier & messenger, & he that ministered to my wants. For he longed after you & was full of heaviness because that ye had heard that he had been sick.
For indeed he was sick, nigh unto death: but God had mercy on him; & not on him only but on me also lest I should have sorrow on sorrow. I sent him therefore in the Lord with all gladness; hold such in reputation.
Because for the work of Christ he was nigh unto death, not regarding his life to supply your lack of service toward me.
Though there aren’t a lot of details here it seems that Paul was in Rome & the church in Philippi decided to send Epaphroditus as their messenger to provide financial support & also practical help to Paul.
So now Paul has a problem. Epaphroditus’ health is broken, he’s ready to drop, & he desperately needs R&R. Word has reached Paul that the church in Philippi is aware of Epaphroditus’s illness & is worried about him. It would seem that Epaphroditus is homesick but feels guilt that he is causing so much worry at home. He also fears the home church that sent him will think he’s let Paul down. Paul realizes that if he keeps Epaphroditus with him with his health failing him, it may have fatal results.
Can anybody say conundrum? Murphy’s Law springs to mind here. Through nobodies fault, the best intentions of the Philippian Christians have ended up in a mess & Epaphroditus is plagued with the thought, “What must they think of me- would it have been better if I had never come? When my church asked me to do this should I have said no?” Here we have Paul, the Philippian church & loyal worker Epaphroditus, all on the horns of a dilemma. I’ve been there, done that, & have the t-shirt. What about you?
Isn’t it interesting if not comforting to read these words telling us that even in the life of those early Christians, through no fault of their own, & with the very best of intentions, things end up in a mess? Through some random event, an illness, a conflict or some other lack, maybe even of resources, life slashes through our path with a vengeance & we find ourselves saying like Paul did, “Its time to stop & reassess where we’re going & what we’re doing, because we can’t go on like this.”
Even in God’s work, we haven’t been called to “burn-out for Jesus.” We pray for wisdom when sometimes all we need is a little common sense. Sometimes when we are ready to drop it is necessary to step back from the overload & rest to regain our health & energy. We aren’t doing God or anyone else a favor when we break down under the load.
In the mid-sixties I preached a lot in Michigan. We loved the people of this great state. Once while conducting a meeting in Pontiac, a 24 year old man came up to me in the lobby of the church were we were ministering & said, “Preacher, I’m one of those guys whom God blessed with a heart attack.” At the time I was rather young myself & in many ways naive’. I stood & listened as this fine young fellow explained to me how he awoke one night feeling like an elephant was standing on his chest. He received medical attention & to God be the glory, his life was spared. He then pulled several bottles of medication from both his front pant-pockets & told me he’d probably be on these meds the rest of his life.
Then he hit me with the “big-kicker.” He knew in retrospect why God had “given” him the heart attack & that was because he’d been able to win a man to Christ while he was hospitalized. As we stood & talked, another older man came up smiling & said to the young man, “Tell the preacher the truth now.” I was non-plussed as I was under the impression that he was telling me the truth. The bottom line was a few months back, the young man had been offered by General Motors, the company he worked for, unlimited hours for the next few months because the new car models were coming out. He could work as many hours as he wished for a while & he chose to work almost non-stop for several months. That meant huge money but very little sleep & almost no leisure time.
When he awoke with the “elephant” on his chest, he’d had almost no sleep for months. I walked away from that conversation a little wiser, knowing that some people will act in an unwise manner then when the roof caves in, they will try to elevate their actions by ascribing it all to “God.”
Just think, he was put in the hospital by God “so he could win a man to Christ.” If someone tried to tell me a story like that now I’d be quick to point out--- if they’d gone in the hospital in good health, they could have visited every room in the hospital & won numbers of people to the Lord.
Perhaps we should say that if Epaphroditus drove himself to exhaustion & ignored his other options to maintain his health & well being, in the belief that this was the kind of sacrifice that was called for, he got it wrong. And if we follow the same destructive path we will also get it wrong.
Paul could have been proud & stubborn & drove himself to extremes but in his dealings with Epaphroditus when he truly understood the situation he was supportive loving & deeply caring. Maybe we all can see when another person is driving themselves too far, but we don’t recognize the crisis staring us in the face. I realize that Clint Eastwood wasn’t a prophet or the son of a prophet but I once heard him say something very wise; “a man’s got to know his limitations.”
Maybe in our quest to know our God as a supernatural God, we fail to see that He will also tell us at times, if we’ll listen;
“Stop! If you stop for awhile you haven’t failed. Don’t continue till you drop. Don’t be worried about what others may think of you. You can’t do anything else for the present but pull away, rest & recover your wholeness once again.”
John
We think you ought to know, dear brothers and sisters, about the trouble we went through in the province of Asia. We were crushed and overwhelmed beyond our ability to endure, and we thought we would never live through it.
Do you recognize the words above? They are the words of none other than the great apostle Paul, in 2 Corinthians 1:8—NLT.
It sounds like Paul was ready to drop doesn’t it? Have you ever been there? I don’t know who said these words, “Doing the work of God is good but doing the will of God is much better,” but I love them.
I heard about a man who ordered flowers for his deceased father & when the beautiful spray of flowers arrived at the funeral home the card attached read “Enjoy your trip.” It was obviously a mix-up at the florist so the man called to chew the people out who were responsible for the fluke.
The florist shop worker, trying to defuse the situation told the man, “Sir, this isn’t so bad, somewhere in town at another funeral home is a spray of flowers with an attached card that reads, “Congratulations on your new location.” It sounds like fatigue & burn-out can happen even to people who work with flowers for a living.
Listen to these words In Philippians 2:25-30; --Yet I supposed it necessary to send to you Epaphroditus, my brother & companion in labor, & fellow soldier & messenger, & he that ministered to my wants. For he longed after you & was full of heaviness because that ye had heard that he had been sick.
For indeed he was sick, nigh unto death: but God had mercy on him; & not on him only but on me also lest I should have sorrow on sorrow. I sent him therefore in the Lord with all gladness; hold such in reputation.
Because for the work of Christ he was nigh unto death, not regarding his life to supply your lack of service toward me.
Though there aren’t a lot of details here it seems that Paul was in Rome & the church in Philippi decided to send Epaphroditus as their messenger to provide financial support & also practical help to Paul.
So now Paul has a problem. Epaphroditus’ health is broken, he’s ready to drop, & he desperately needs R&R. Word has reached Paul that the church in Philippi is aware of Epaphroditus’s illness & is worried about him. It would seem that Epaphroditus is homesick but feels guilt that he is causing so much worry at home. He also fears the home church that sent him will think he’s let Paul down. Paul realizes that if he keeps Epaphroditus with him with his health failing him, it may have fatal results.
Can anybody say conundrum? Murphy’s Law springs to mind here. Through nobodies fault, the best intentions of the Philippian Christians have ended up in a mess & Epaphroditus is plagued with the thought, “What must they think of me- would it have been better if I had never come? When my church asked me to do this should I have said no?” Here we have Paul, the Philippian church & loyal worker Epaphroditus, all on the horns of a dilemma. I’ve been there, done that, & have the t-shirt. What about you?
Isn’t it interesting if not comforting to read these words telling us that even in the life of those early Christians, through no fault of their own, & with the very best of intentions, things end up in a mess? Through some random event, an illness, a conflict or some other lack, maybe even of resources, life slashes through our path with a vengeance & we find ourselves saying like Paul did, “Its time to stop & reassess where we’re going & what we’re doing, because we can’t go on like this.”
Even in God’s work, we haven’t been called to “burn-out for Jesus.” We pray for wisdom when sometimes all we need is a little common sense. Sometimes when we are ready to drop it is necessary to step back from the overload & rest to regain our health & energy. We aren’t doing God or anyone else a favor when we break down under the load.
In the mid-sixties I preached a lot in Michigan. We loved the people of this great state. Once while conducting a meeting in Pontiac, a 24 year old man came up to me in the lobby of the church were we were ministering & said, “Preacher, I’m one of those guys whom God blessed with a heart attack.” At the time I was rather young myself & in many ways naive’. I stood & listened as this fine young fellow explained to me how he awoke one night feeling like an elephant was standing on his chest. He received medical attention & to God be the glory, his life was spared. He then pulled several bottles of medication from both his front pant-pockets & told me he’d probably be on these meds the rest of his life.
Then he hit me with the “big-kicker.” He knew in retrospect why God had “given” him the heart attack & that was because he’d been able to win a man to Christ while he was hospitalized. As we stood & talked, another older man came up smiling & said to the young man, “Tell the preacher the truth now.” I was non-plussed as I was under the impression that he was telling me the truth. The bottom line was a few months back, the young man had been offered by General Motors, the company he worked for, unlimited hours for the next few months because the new car models were coming out. He could work as many hours as he wished for a while & he chose to work almost non-stop for several months. That meant huge money but very little sleep & almost no leisure time.
When he awoke with the “elephant” on his chest, he’d had almost no sleep for months. I walked away from that conversation a little wiser, knowing that some people will act in an unwise manner then when the roof caves in, they will try to elevate their actions by ascribing it all to “God.”
Just think, he was put in the hospital by God “so he could win a man to Christ.” If someone tried to tell me a story like that now I’d be quick to point out--- if they’d gone in the hospital in good health, they could have visited every room in the hospital & won numbers of people to the Lord.
Perhaps we should say that if Epaphroditus drove himself to exhaustion & ignored his other options to maintain his health & well being, in the belief that this was the kind of sacrifice that was called for, he got it wrong. And if we follow the same destructive path we will also get it wrong.
Paul could have been proud & stubborn & drove himself to extremes but in his dealings with Epaphroditus when he truly understood the situation he was supportive loving & deeply caring. Maybe we all can see when another person is driving themselves too far, but we don’t recognize the crisis staring us in the face. I realize that Clint Eastwood wasn’t a prophet or the son of a prophet but I once heard him say something very wise; “a man’s got to know his limitations.”
Maybe in our quest to know our God as a supernatural God, we fail to see that He will also tell us at times, if we’ll listen;
“Stop! If you stop for awhile you haven’t failed. Don’t continue till you drop. Don’t be worried about what others may think of you. You can’t do anything else for the present but pull away, rest & recover your wholeness once again.”
John
Saturday, August 11, 2007
Desperate housewives.
by John Stallings
I’m not a fan of the T.V show by the same name but with the little I do know I think it’s interesting that again Hollywood has stumbled into Bible territory. From what I’ve been able to learn, there are four women on the T.V show. Each has her particular personality, set of interests & layers of desperation. But where desperation is concerned, like the fellow said; what’s new?
In Genesis 29 & 30, we have a Bible story about four women & I’ll guarantee you they are more desperate than the T.V ladies. In all candidness, the T.V show is a tame PBS presentation compared to the story before us.
Most of their desperation has to do with the issue of child-bearing.
For a little background, in the days when these women lived, there were no Social Security programs to keep people from falling through the cracks of society. To put it bluntly, if a woman had no children, in her old age she was probably going to be a street beggar. Now we can proceed with at least a modicum of knowledge of why these women were so desperate.
Let’s start with Rachel. As chapter 30 opens she’s extremely desperate because she has no children. Listen to her;--And when Rachel saw that she bare no children, Rachel envied her sister; and she said unto Jacob, give me children lest I die. One thing we learned from reading the preceding chapter, (chapter 29) is that Jacob loved Rachel more than her sister Leah. Ouch! That’s gotta hurt. You can almost see what’s coming here. The narrative tells that when the Lord saw that Leah was unloved, he opened her womb; but Rachel was barren. Oh, Yeah! Now we’ve got a fight going.
And Jacob’s anger was kindled against Rachel; and he said, am I in God’s place who hath withheld from thee the fruit of thy womb? Vr.1-2
Next we have Leah. When Leah saw that she’d left childbearing she took Zilphah her maid & gave her to Jacob to wife. And Zilpah Leah’s maid bare Jacob a son. And Leah said, a troop cometh & she called his name Gad.
Now Leah starts some real baby-having & pops out four boys, Reuben, Simeon, Levi, & Judah. All this action makes Rachel jealous & angry so she offers her maid BILHAH to Jacob so that she too may have a child. Bilhah gives birth to two sons, Dan & Naphtali. Not to be outdone, Leah who had ceased childbearing offers her maid Zilphah to Jacob in order to have more children. Through Zilpah, Leah is able to have two more sons, Gad & Asher. Leah has three more children with Jacob, Issachar, Zebulun, & Dinah. Finally God remembers Rachel, opens her womb, & she bears a son for Jacob. His name is Joseph.
Rachel, Bilhah, Leah, & Zilphah, --were desperate housewives. Bilhah & Zilphah were maids/slaves. I’m sure their desperation had to do with at some point gaining their freedom to live lives on their own & have husbands of their own.
If you’re a Bible student you know that this sort of scenario isn’t unusual, it started with Abraham & Sarah. They too were desperate. And then the clan of Jacob & Esau were also equally desperate.
One thing that puts a little “pepper in the gumbo” is that these people were vagabonds & tent-dwellers. Wouldn’t you say that made them even more desperate?
We can understand why the T.V people would put a series like this on the air. They are in the business of making money. But why in the world would God put this “soap-opera” right in the opening chapters of His Word? Once you think about it, the answers simple. Who else would there be for God to work with were it not for desperate people? Haven’t you noticed we’re all desperate? A famous Sage said—“most of us live lives of quiet desperation.” How true those words are.
After all, what would you call it when we go to the airport & take off our shoes for inspection? Has anyone considered how hard it is for stout people to take their shoes off? Look at our divorce rate. What does it tell you? We are a desperate people.
Desperate is who God’s people are. We are all desperate in some way or another. The Bible is full of desperate people. They are the only ones available to God. If God didn’t use desperate people there’d be no one else to use.
Think of how God is so caught up in this narrative with the issue of children being born. In this day of Abortion on demand, do you think God has changed His attitude about life? This story seems to me to show that at the heart of God is the gift of birth & life. But these lives don’t exist in a void without struggle. It seems that in the chaos of life is where God reveals His love, hope & promise.
Aren’t you glad we have a God who blesses us right in the presence of conflict? He moved into dysfunction to bring about the birth of Israel’s children & enable goodness & greatness to emerge.
As I finish writing this blog, I have a feeling that it will go straight into the hearts of many, who like me, can very easily identify with the chaotic, messy, dysfunctional, desperate side of life.
Maybe I’m wrong.
Blessings,
John
I’m not a fan of the T.V show by the same name but with the little I do know I think it’s interesting that again Hollywood has stumbled into Bible territory. From what I’ve been able to learn, there are four women on the T.V show. Each has her particular personality, set of interests & layers of desperation. But where desperation is concerned, like the fellow said; what’s new?
In Genesis 29 & 30, we have a Bible story about four women & I’ll guarantee you they are more desperate than the T.V ladies. In all candidness, the T.V show is a tame PBS presentation compared to the story before us.
Most of their desperation has to do with the issue of child-bearing.
For a little background, in the days when these women lived, there were no Social Security programs to keep people from falling through the cracks of society. To put it bluntly, if a woman had no children, in her old age she was probably going to be a street beggar. Now we can proceed with at least a modicum of knowledge of why these women were so desperate.
Let’s start with Rachel. As chapter 30 opens she’s extremely desperate because she has no children. Listen to her;--And when Rachel saw that she bare no children, Rachel envied her sister; and she said unto Jacob, give me children lest I die. One thing we learned from reading the preceding chapter, (chapter 29) is that Jacob loved Rachel more than her sister Leah. Ouch! That’s gotta hurt. You can almost see what’s coming here. The narrative tells that when the Lord saw that Leah was unloved, he opened her womb; but Rachel was barren. Oh, Yeah! Now we’ve got a fight going.
And Jacob’s anger was kindled against Rachel; and he said, am I in God’s place who hath withheld from thee the fruit of thy womb? Vr.1-2
Next we have Leah. When Leah saw that she’d left childbearing she took Zilphah her maid & gave her to Jacob to wife. And Zilpah Leah’s maid bare Jacob a son. And Leah said, a troop cometh & she called his name Gad.
Now Leah starts some real baby-having & pops out four boys, Reuben, Simeon, Levi, & Judah. All this action makes Rachel jealous & angry so she offers her maid BILHAH to Jacob so that she too may have a child. Bilhah gives birth to two sons, Dan & Naphtali. Not to be outdone, Leah who had ceased childbearing offers her maid Zilphah to Jacob in order to have more children. Through Zilpah, Leah is able to have two more sons, Gad & Asher. Leah has three more children with Jacob, Issachar, Zebulun, & Dinah. Finally God remembers Rachel, opens her womb, & she bears a son for Jacob. His name is Joseph.
Rachel, Bilhah, Leah, & Zilphah, --were desperate housewives. Bilhah & Zilphah were maids/slaves. I’m sure their desperation had to do with at some point gaining their freedom to live lives on their own & have husbands of their own.
If you’re a Bible student you know that this sort of scenario isn’t unusual, it started with Abraham & Sarah. They too were desperate. And then the clan of Jacob & Esau were also equally desperate.
One thing that puts a little “pepper in the gumbo” is that these people were vagabonds & tent-dwellers. Wouldn’t you say that made them even more desperate?
We can understand why the T.V people would put a series like this on the air. They are in the business of making money. But why in the world would God put this “soap-opera” right in the opening chapters of His Word? Once you think about it, the answers simple. Who else would there be for God to work with were it not for desperate people? Haven’t you noticed we’re all desperate? A famous Sage said—“most of us live lives of quiet desperation.” How true those words are.
After all, what would you call it when we go to the airport & take off our shoes for inspection? Has anyone considered how hard it is for stout people to take their shoes off? Look at our divorce rate. What does it tell you? We are a desperate people.
Desperate is who God’s people are. We are all desperate in some way or another. The Bible is full of desperate people. They are the only ones available to God. If God didn’t use desperate people there’d be no one else to use.
Think of how God is so caught up in this narrative with the issue of children being born. In this day of Abortion on demand, do you think God has changed His attitude about life? This story seems to me to show that at the heart of God is the gift of birth & life. But these lives don’t exist in a void without struggle. It seems that in the chaos of life is where God reveals His love, hope & promise.
Aren’t you glad we have a God who blesses us right in the presence of conflict? He moved into dysfunction to bring about the birth of Israel’s children & enable goodness & greatness to emerge.
As I finish writing this blog, I have a feeling that it will go straight into the hearts of many, who like me, can very easily identify with the chaotic, messy, dysfunctional, desperate side of life.
Maybe I’m wrong.
Blessings,
John
Friday, August 3, 2007
The Ultimate upgrade.
By John Stallings
I read a story about a man who was getting ready to board a flight when the flight attendant came to him with what she called “Good news & Bad news.” She explained that the flight was too full in the coach section so if he didn’t mind he would be upgraded to first class. Obviously the man was more than happy about this & proceeded to the first class section for his seat. As he was waiting for his complimentary drink to be served, he noticed that a man across from him was being very disruptive, & complaining about everything. As a matter of fact the man became so rude & abusive it almost made the trip unbearable to the others in first class.
As this man who wrote the story sat & pondered the situation, he asked himself why that man was so critical & impossible to please, when to him everything seemed perfect about the flight. The answer was obvious; the man making all the noise had paid full fare & he had a strong sense of entitlement, while the author had been given his seat free (at least the first class seat) & he felt nothing but gratitude.
You’re probably already making the spiritual connection here. As Christians we’ve been given the ultimate upgrade. Think about it. We’ve been redeemed by God’s mercy & grace. We’ve gone from the road to hell & destruction to the road to heaven by God’s sovereign love. We’ve gone from sin to righteousness, from being lost to being found, from being bound, to freedom. We were rescued by God from a horrible pit & our feet have been taken out of the miry clay & placed on the Rock Christ Jesus. It was a gift from God. Now that’s the Ultimate upgrade. Wouldn’t you agree?
Consequently we as Christians should be the happiest, the most appreciative, and the most loving people on the planet. We should be so glad for our free upgrade that we could be spotted from outer space, singing & dancing in the rain. However, too often this just isn’t the case. The elephant in the living room that few talk about is that as Christians, we sometimes have a hard time coming up with a modicum of gratitude & happiness in the marketplace of our daily lives. We’re so busy trying to get the pieces of our inner man together that we don’t have much to offer anyone else.
I heard about a minister who was working toward his degree who spent time among men who were in drug recovery programs. He was amazed at the high level of gentleness, compassion & helpfulness of the men. He said that the stereotype of persons in recovery as rough, ungrateful & rude was totally wrong. One day he mentioned to the men he was working with that he’d never before experienced such grace-filled attitudes in so many men. He never saw a trace of rudeness or lack of sensitivity in any of them.
One particular recovering addict replied, “Well Reverend, when you’ve taken the food out of your baby’s mouth, the lunch money out of your son’s pocket & the clothes off your wife’s back to pay for your addiction, & then they forgive you & accept you when you begin to turn your life around, you are so thankful.” Then he added, “Those who’ve been forgiven much love much.”
Let’s look at a dictionary definition of rudeness. ---Rude; Discourteous, impolite, without culture, rough, harsh, tempestuous, uncouth. If we’re candid we’ll have to admit that we see this on a daily basis on our streets, in the workplace & even in our homes.
Have you noticed that the most popular comedians nowadays are the incredibly rude ones? The ruder the better. They don’t need much talent; all they seem to need is a foul mouth & the willingness to be rude. Many people love it. One of the most popular movies of recent times is about a man who visits America & all he does is disrupt parties, go rudely & uninvited into homes & embarrass people & make himself obnoxious in general. If you want to stand out in our society, have a clean mouth & always be respectful & you’ll truly be a stand-out. Rudeness just seems to come naturally these days.
ONE THING IS FOR SURE, RUDENESS DOESN’T MESH WITH THE CHRISTIAN FAITH.
In James 2:1-12, James tells how not to act toward people. He is telling us very clearly not to “be respecters of persons” that is not to pick & chose who we’ll be nice to. He said it’s sinful to bow & scrape to the well dressed & then treat the poor with less respect. James lays it on the line, for in verse eight he says we do well when we love our neighbor as ourselves but if we are rude & unloving to people we’re just as guilty before God as if we broke one of the Cardinal commandments like murder & adultery
James says; -“Don’t do it—don’t be rude” & he underscores it. It’s not a triviality. If you haven’t read that passage lately go back & reread it & ponder what James is saying to us. You’ll get a little shiver up your back as I did.
Common courtesy is really what we’re talking about. Did you ever notice that the first five letters of that word are COURT? Courtesy! That word originated with people who worked in a courtroom. They would have a special standard of speaking & acting while in the courtroom. Then their behavior began to spill over into their everyday lives. They were court workers & people started calling their actions –courteous. The reason they were courteous in the courtroom was very simple; they were in the presence of a king who was holding court. You & I as Christians are living our lives “In the presence of a king.—King Jesus.” I can remember being told as a boy to live my life to an audience of one---God. I’d like to say I’ve always done it but I can’t. But for the times I’ve missed it I grieve.
Jesus was a very courteous man. In John 2, when He was attending a wedding (isn’t it interesting that Jesus was such a social being?) the wine ran out. Jesus didn’t have to do it but because He didn’t want to be rude & heartless, he turned water into wine so the party could continue. Did you notice that when the ruler of the feast tasted the wine he didn’t even give Jesus credit for it, he gave the Bridegroom the credit. Jesus didn’t let it the man’s rudeness bother Him because He was just gracious like that.
I am shocked when I read how rude Jesus’ disciples were at times. In John 9, there’s the story of the blind man Jesus passed by. The disciples blurted out— “Jesus, who sinned in this instance, the man or his parents?” Pardon my expression here but, “heavens–to-Betsy”-- did the disciples think the man was deaf too? How did they think their statement would make that man feel? Well he wasn’t deaf, he was blind. But notice how Jesus saved the occasion by saying so gently, “neither the man nor his parents sinned, but that the works of God might be manifest in him.” Then Jesus made a mud-ball & told the man to go wash it off & he was healed of his blindness.
I love the story about Jesus after He had risen from the dead & made an appearance to His disciples. He could have gone on a mission to guilt His disciples for running out on Him like they did at His crucifixion. He could have preached them a red-hot sermon about sticking with your friends or how disappointed He was with them for being afraid after all the years He’d spent with them. But what did He do? He had a nice meal waiting for them of fish & bread & invites them to “come and dine.” Then they just sit around & have a nice time of fellowship. There is no guile in Him & no desire to get even with them for deserting Him.
The Golden Rule Jesus gave was “do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” The first rudiment of a Christian life is to treat others as we’d like to be treated. All I have to do to obey that command of Christ is know how I like to be treated. Do I like to receive cards from people on special days? Well I should send people cards on their special days. Do I like to be treated with respect? Then I will treat others with respect. James tells us if we don’t fulfill that “royal law” of loving our neighbor as we love ourselves, we are is so doing “breaking all of the other commandments.”
Let’s go back to our UPGRADE. I’ve been accused of writing some long sentences as a matter of fact maybe too long to be grammatically correct. But the Apostle Paul got carried away describing our Ultimate Update & wrote the longest sentences in the Bible. I’m going to join Paul in the 4th verse of the first chapter of Ephesians. Read carefully for here are the details of your upgrade;
According as he hath chosen is in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy & without blame before him in love, Having predestined us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, to the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved, in whom we have redemption through his blood the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace, wherein he hath abounded toward us in all wisdom & prudence, Having made known unto us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself, that in the dispensations of the fullness of time he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven & which are in earth; even in him, in whom ye also have obtained an inheritance being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will; that we should be to the praise of his glory who first trusted in Christ. In whom ye also trusted after we heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also after that ye believed ye were sealed with that holy spirit of promise, which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory. Wherefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus, & love unto all the saints, cease not to give thanks for you making mention of you in my prayers; that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the father of glory may give unto you the spirit of wisdom & revelation in the knowledge of him; the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling & what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of his power to usward who believe according to the working of his mighty power, which he wrought in Christ when he raised him from the dead, & set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principalities & power & might & dominion & every name that is named not only in this world but also in that which is to come: and hath out all things under his feet & gave him to be the head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fullness of him that filleth all in all.
How should we then live & how should our behavior be influenced when we realize how royally we’ve been treated by the Lord & what we have in Christ both now & in eternity?
What an UPGRADE!!
John
I read a story about a man who was getting ready to board a flight when the flight attendant came to him with what she called “Good news & Bad news.” She explained that the flight was too full in the coach section so if he didn’t mind he would be upgraded to first class. Obviously the man was more than happy about this & proceeded to the first class section for his seat. As he was waiting for his complimentary drink to be served, he noticed that a man across from him was being very disruptive, & complaining about everything. As a matter of fact the man became so rude & abusive it almost made the trip unbearable to the others in first class.
As this man who wrote the story sat & pondered the situation, he asked himself why that man was so critical & impossible to please, when to him everything seemed perfect about the flight. The answer was obvious; the man making all the noise had paid full fare & he had a strong sense of entitlement, while the author had been given his seat free (at least the first class seat) & he felt nothing but gratitude.
You’re probably already making the spiritual connection here. As Christians we’ve been given the ultimate upgrade. Think about it. We’ve been redeemed by God’s mercy & grace. We’ve gone from the road to hell & destruction to the road to heaven by God’s sovereign love. We’ve gone from sin to righteousness, from being lost to being found, from being bound, to freedom. We were rescued by God from a horrible pit & our feet have been taken out of the miry clay & placed on the Rock Christ Jesus. It was a gift from God. Now that’s the Ultimate upgrade. Wouldn’t you agree?
Consequently we as Christians should be the happiest, the most appreciative, and the most loving people on the planet. We should be so glad for our free upgrade that we could be spotted from outer space, singing & dancing in the rain. However, too often this just isn’t the case. The elephant in the living room that few talk about is that as Christians, we sometimes have a hard time coming up with a modicum of gratitude & happiness in the marketplace of our daily lives. We’re so busy trying to get the pieces of our inner man together that we don’t have much to offer anyone else.
I heard about a minister who was working toward his degree who spent time among men who were in drug recovery programs. He was amazed at the high level of gentleness, compassion & helpfulness of the men. He said that the stereotype of persons in recovery as rough, ungrateful & rude was totally wrong. One day he mentioned to the men he was working with that he’d never before experienced such grace-filled attitudes in so many men. He never saw a trace of rudeness or lack of sensitivity in any of them.
One particular recovering addict replied, “Well Reverend, when you’ve taken the food out of your baby’s mouth, the lunch money out of your son’s pocket & the clothes off your wife’s back to pay for your addiction, & then they forgive you & accept you when you begin to turn your life around, you are so thankful.” Then he added, “Those who’ve been forgiven much love much.”
Let’s look at a dictionary definition of rudeness. ---Rude; Discourteous, impolite, without culture, rough, harsh, tempestuous, uncouth. If we’re candid we’ll have to admit that we see this on a daily basis on our streets, in the workplace & even in our homes.
Have you noticed that the most popular comedians nowadays are the incredibly rude ones? The ruder the better. They don’t need much talent; all they seem to need is a foul mouth & the willingness to be rude. Many people love it. One of the most popular movies of recent times is about a man who visits America & all he does is disrupt parties, go rudely & uninvited into homes & embarrass people & make himself obnoxious in general. If you want to stand out in our society, have a clean mouth & always be respectful & you’ll truly be a stand-out. Rudeness just seems to come naturally these days.
ONE THING IS FOR SURE, RUDENESS DOESN’T MESH WITH THE CHRISTIAN FAITH.
In James 2:1-12, James tells how not to act toward people. He is telling us very clearly not to “be respecters of persons” that is not to pick & chose who we’ll be nice to. He said it’s sinful to bow & scrape to the well dressed & then treat the poor with less respect. James lays it on the line, for in verse eight he says we do well when we love our neighbor as ourselves but if we are rude & unloving to people we’re just as guilty before God as if we broke one of the Cardinal commandments like murder & adultery
James says; -“Don’t do it—don’t be rude” & he underscores it. It’s not a triviality. If you haven’t read that passage lately go back & reread it & ponder what James is saying to us. You’ll get a little shiver up your back as I did.
Common courtesy is really what we’re talking about. Did you ever notice that the first five letters of that word are COURT? Courtesy! That word originated with people who worked in a courtroom. They would have a special standard of speaking & acting while in the courtroom. Then their behavior began to spill over into their everyday lives. They were court workers & people started calling their actions –courteous. The reason they were courteous in the courtroom was very simple; they were in the presence of a king who was holding court. You & I as Christians are living our lives “In the presence of a king.—King Jesus.” I can remember being told as a boy to live my life to an audience of one---God. I’d like to say I’ve always done it but I can’t. But for the times I’ve missed it I grieve.
Jesus was a very courteous man. In John 2, when He was attending a wedding (isn’t it interesting that Jesus was such a social being?) the wine ran out. Jesus didn’t have to do it but because He didn’t want to be rude & heartless, he turned water into wine so the party could continue. Did you notice that when the ruler of the feast tasted the wine he didn’t even give Jesus credit for it, he gave the Bridegroom the credit. Jesus didn’t let it the man’s rudeness bother Him because He was just gracious like that.
I am shocked when I read how rude Jesus’ disciples were at times. In John 9, there’s the story of the blind man Jesus passed by. The disciples blurted out— “Jesus, who sinned in this instance, the man or his parents?” Pardon my expression here but, “heavens–to-Betsy”-- did the disciples think the man was deaf too? How did they think their statement would make that man feel? Well he wasn’t deaf, he was blind. But notice how Jesus saved the occasion by saying so gently, “neither the man nor his parents sinned, but that the works of God might be manifest in him.” Then Jesus made a mud-ball & told the man to go wash it off & he was healed of his blindness.
I love the story about Jesus after He had risen from the dead & made an appearance to His disciples. He could have gone on a mission to guilt His disciples for running out on Him like they did at His crucifixion. He could have preached them a red-hot sermon about sticking with your friends or how disappointed He was with them for being afraid after all the years He’d spent with them. But what did He do? He had a nice meal waiting for them of fish & bread & invites them to “come and dine.” Then they just sit around & have a nice time of fellowship. There is no guile in Him & no desire to get even with them for deserting Him.
The Golden Rule Jesus gave was “do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” The first rudiment of a Christian life is to treat others as we’d like to be treated. All I have to do to obey that command of Christ is know how I like to be treated. Do I like to receive cards from people on special days? Well I should send people cards on their special days. Do I like to be treated with respect? Then I will treat others with respect. James tells us if we don’t fulfill that “royal law” of loving our neighbor as we love ourselves, we are is so doing “breaking all of the other commandments.”
Let’s go back to our UPGRADE. I’ve been accused of writing some long sentences as a matter of fact maybe too long to be grammatically correct. But the Apostle Paul got carried away describing our Ultimate Update & wrote the longest sentences in the Bible. I’m going to join Paul in the 4th verse of the first chapter of Ephesians. Read carefully for here are the details of your upgrade;
According as he hath chosen is in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy & without blame before him in love, Having predestined us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, to the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved, in whom we have redemption through his blood the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace, wherein he hath abounded toward us in all wisdom & prudence, Having made known unto us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself, that in the dispensations of the fullness of time he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven & which are in earth; even in him, in whom ye also have obtained an inheritance being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will; that we should be to the praise of his glory who first trusted in Christ. In whom ye also trusted after we heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also after that ye believed ye were sealed with that holy spirit of promise, which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory. Wherefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus, & love unto all the saints, cease not to give thanks for you making mention of you in my prayers; that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the father of glory may give unto you the spirit of wisdom & revelation in the knowledge of him; the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling & what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of his power to usward who believe according to the working of his mighty power, which he wrought in Christ when he raised him from the dead, & set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principalities & power & might & dominion & every name that is named not only in this world but also in that which is to come: and hath out all things under his feet & gave him to be the head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fullness of him that filleth all in all.
How should we then live & how should our behavior be influenced when we realize how royally we’ve been treated by the Lord & what we have in Christ both now & in eternity?
What an UPGRADE!!
John
Wednesday, August 1, 2007
Why more people aren't saved.
by John Stallings
What if an airline stewardess walked up to a man while the plane was in flight & offered him a Parachute? She told him just to hold it for the duration of the flight, there wasn’t a problem but just hold the parachute until the plane was on the ground. How long do you think the man would keep the parachute strapped on? In all probability, after a couple of hours he’d look around, see that no one else was wearing a parachute, & slip off the bulky uncomfortable pack on his back.
Now, what if an airline stewardess was called into the cockpit & told by the pilots that the plane didn’t have enough fuel to make it to its destination & would without doubt be ditching in the ocean shortly? She takes a parachute to a man on the plane & whispers to him with a voice trembling with emotion that it’s certain the plane will be ditching in the ocean within just a few moments. Now what do you think the man will do with his parachute? Obviously he’d cling to that parachute like his life depended on it, which would be true. Nothing would change his decision to keep that lifesaving burden strapped on his back. He’d make a decision quick & the decision would be heartfelt & would last to the bitter end of that flight.
Is it possible the reason we’re not seeing people saved in the numbers they were once saved is because all too often the message they hear isn’t one of impending judgment for the sinner? A message that an eternal hell that yawns before them if they’re not right with God? In other words, are we truly presenting salvation as the only way to escape the wrath of God & the absolute certainty of coming judgment? How much of that have you heard lately?
I’ve heard preachers say that we shouldn’t present the gospel as a “fire escape.” I know what the good brother is talking about & I also know that if we preach nothing but hell fire & damnation people will become hardened to it. There is some validity to this. But if sinners don’t hear & hear often that if they die in their sins they’re going to a place called hell, where doors only swing one way & the activities of the day are weeping, wailing & gnashing of teeth, there wont be enough conviction to bring them to a place of decision. Doesn’t that make pretty good sense to you?
Let me tell you a story. The apostle Paul went to Jerusalem after his third missionary journey. He had high hopes. He had been warned by various churches that it would be wiser not to go. When he got to Jerusalem everything went wrong.
Paul was falsely accused of bringing Gentiles into the Jewish area of the temple. A riot took place & Paul was kept from possible assignation by the arrival of Roman troops who took him away under guard to Caesarea.
Here Paul met his first judge Felix, a man with a reputation for killing anyone who opposed him. Felix was also living with his brother’s wife whom he enticed away from her husband. Her name was Drusilla.That's an ancient spelling for -trouble!
Oddly enough, Felix wanted to hear Paul preach, probably just curiosity. Here we have Felix, a very weak man sitting with a woman whom he calls his wife but who is actually his mistress, the wife of another man. Drusilla was the daughter of Herod, who killed James with the sword in Acts 12.
Felix had heard Paul defending himself the day before & he realized the man had incredible talent & was a master speaker. He wanted to hear more. He was also impressed by the power of Paul’s presence & his spiritual charisma. Whatever the reason, Felix was getting ready for the ride of his life. Paul knew that Felix & his paramour needed to hear a good gospel message. One thing I left out that will give you another glimpse into the heart of Felix is that he was also hoping Paul would offer him a bribe, a little cash, to get out of his situation. That wasn’t going to happen.
What do you think a man would preach in a tight spot like this? Would he asses the situation, think about the two adulterers sitting before him & bring a little inspirational sermonette? Not so much. Paul started preaching a red-hot sermon & his first point was Righteousness. Paul felt that the issue of right & wrong was something these two badly needed to hear. This man Felix was such a shameless sinner that he sat (in church) with another mans wife. Paul figured he needed to preach something to them that would bring Holy Ghost conviction. He wasn’t the kind of preacher that could “tiptoe through the tulips.”
Paul’s’ second point was Temperance. Wow! Paul is waxing elephants here. Temperance, Self-control. Self-mastery. Paul, you’re doing well! If anyone needed to hear this it was a man who’d taken another man’s wife.
Then Paul started preaching on Judgment to come. He told them there was going to be a judgment. There is judgment to come & also punishment to come for those outside of Christ.
Then something started to happen. This old hardened sinner Felix started to tremble. Thinking of the implications of his sinful life he said, “That’s enough. When I have a more convenient moment I’ll hear you again.” Why did Felix cut him off? It was probably because Drusilla, sitting next to him, dug her elbow into his ribs & gave him a scowl that Felix recognized. Drusilla was in a hot spot & she didn’t want to hear any more.Isnt it funny that we can get all the way through the singing without babies crying but as soon as the gospel is preached everyone develops a chough?
It’s sad because if they’d let Paul finish he’d have preached his fourth point which would have been Salvation through Jesus Christ’s blood. This was Felix’s great opportunity to get right with God but he didn’t take advantage of it. He was never stirred again in the same way. When God speaks directly to us in some way it’s not wise to brush His voice aside like Felix did. We should always obey the promptings of the Holy Spirit.
While we’re at it, let's stay with Paul a while & see what he faces next. Now he goes before Festus who isn’t interested in spiritual things, period. He asks Paul if he’d like to have his trial transferred to Jerusalem. But Paul asks that he be tried by the Emperor himself. This presents a problem for Festus. He doesn’t consider himself able to describe religious questions but he felt he had to write something.
At this point King Agrippa comes on the scene, to pay his respects to Festus. A lady named Bernice arrives with him. It seems that she had left her husband to live with Agrippa. Do you feel like you’re watching a Soap Opera?
Paul gives his personal testimony about the road to Damascus. He adds that God had called him to be a missionary to the Gentiles in order to turn them from darkness to light & from Satan to God. As Paul preached, he was interrupted by old Festus saying, “Much learning was driving him mad.” Knowing Paul as we do, what would we expect him to say then?
Paul said that he was only reiterating what the Old Testament prophets had said & King Agrippa should be well aware of this. Then King Agrippa then makes his monumental statement—
Almost thou persuadest me to become a Christian.”
In this story we have three men who were almost becoming Christians. What kept them? Felix & Agrippa had wrong relationships which they weren’t willing to give up & Festus was only mildly interested.
What a sad thing to be “almost a Christian.”
Are you fully trusting the Lord Jesus Christ who bore your sins on Calvary & rose again & is able to deal with any problem you have today? You will never regret taking that step to receive Him as your Savior.
John
What if an airline stewardess walked up to a man while the plane was in flight & offered him a Parachute? She told him just to hold it for the duration of the flight, there wasn’t a problem but just hold the parachute until the plane was on the ground. How long do you think the man would keep the parachute strapped on? In all probability, after a couple of hours he’d look around, see that no one else was wearing a parachute, & slip off the bulky uncomfortable pack on his back.
Now, what if an airline stewardess was called into the cockpit & told by the pilots that the plane didn’t have enough fuel to make it to its destination & would without doubt be ditching in the ocean shortly? She takes a parachute to a man on the plane & whispers to him with a voice trembling with emotion that it’s certain the plane will be ditching in the ocean within just a few moments. Now what do you think the man will do with his parachute? Obviously he’d cling to that parachute like his life depended on it, which would be true. Nothing would change his decision to keep that lifesaving burden strapped on his back. He’d make a decision quick & the decision would be heartfelt & would last to the bitter end of that flight.
Is it possible the reason we’re not seeing people saved in the numbers they were once saved is because all too often the message they hear isn’t one of impending judgment for the sinner? A message that an eternal hell that yawns before them if they’re not right with God? In other words, are we truly presenting salvation as the only way to escape the wrath of God & the absolute certainty of coming judgment? How much of that have you heard lately?
I’ve heard preachers say that we shouldn’t present the gospel as a “fire escape.” I know what the good brother is talking about & I also know that if we preach nothing but hell fire & damnation people will become hardened to it. There is some validity to this. But if sinners don’t hear & hear often that if they die in their sins they’re going to a place called hell, where doors only swing one way & the activities of the day are weeping, wailing & gnashing of teeth, there wont be enough conviction to bring them to a place of decision. Doesn’t that make pretty good sense to you?
Let me tell you a story. The apostle Paul went to Jerusalem after his third missionary journey. He had high hopes. He had been warned by various churches that it would be wiser not to go. When he got to Jerusalem everything went wrong.
Paul was falsely accused of bringing Gentiles into the Jewish area of the temple. A riot took place & Paul was kept from possible assignation by the arrival of Roman troops who took him away under guard to Caesarea.
Here Paul met his first judge Felix, a man with a reputation for killing anyone who opposed him. Felix was also living with his brother’s wife whom he enticed away from her husband. Her name was Drusilla.That's an ancient spelling for -trouble!
Oddly enough, Felix wanted to hear Paul preach, probably just curiosity. Here we have Felix, a very weak man sitting with a woman whom he calls his wife but who is actually his mistress, the wife of another man. Drusilla was the daughter of Herod, who killed James with the sword in Acts 12.
Felix had heard Paul defending himself the day before & he realized the man had incredible talent & was a master speaker. He wanted to hear more. He was also impressed by the power of Paul’s presence & his spiritual charisma. Whatever the reason, Felix was getting ready for the ride of his life. Paul knew that Felix & his paramour needed to hear a good gospel message. One thing I left out that will give you another glimpse into the heart of Felix is that he was also hoping Paul would offer him a bribe, a little cash, to get out of his situation. That wasn’t going to happen.
What do you think a man would preach in a tight spot like this? Would he asses the situation, think about the two adulterers sitting before him & bring a little inspirational sermonette? Not so much. Paul started preaching a red-hot sermon & his first point was Righteousness. Paul felt that the issue of right & wrong was something these two badly needed to hear. This man Felix was such a shameless sinner that he sat (in church) with another mans wife. Paul figured he needed to preach something to them that would bring Holy Ghost conviction. He wasn’t the kind of preacher that could “tiptoe through the tulips.”
Paul’s’ second point was Temperance. Wow! Paul is waxing elephants here. Temperance, Self-control. Self-mastery. Paul, you’re doing well! If anyone needed to hear this it was a man who’d taken another man’s wife.
Then Paul started preaching on Judgment to come. He told them there was going to be a judgment. There is judgment to come & also punishment to come for those outside of Christ.
Then something started to happen. This old hardened sinner Felix started to tremble. Thinking of the implications of his sinful life he said, “That’s enough. When I have a more convenient moment I’ll hear you again.” Why did Felix cut him off? It was probably because Drusilla, sitting next to him, dug her elbow into his ribs & gave him a scowl that Felix recognized. Drusilla was in a hot spot & she didn’t want to hear any more.Isnt it funny that we can get all the way through the singing without babies crying but as soon as the gospel is preached everyone develops a chough?
It’s sad because if they’d let Paul finish he’d have preached his fourth point which would have been Salvation through Jesus Christ’s blood. This was Felix’s great opportunity to get right with God but he didn’t take advantage of it. He was never stirred again in the same way. When God speaks directly to us in some way it’s not wise to brush His voice aside like Felix did. We should always obey the promptings of the Holy Spirit.
While we’re at it, let's stay with Paul a while & see what he faces next. Now he goes before Festus who isn’t interested in spiritual things, period. He asks Paul if he’d like to have his trial transferred to Jerusalem. But Paul asks that he be tried by the Emperor himself. This presents a problem for Festus. He doesn’t consider himself able to describe religious questions but he felt he had to write something.
At this point King Agrippa comes on the scene, to pay his respects to Festus. A lady named Bernice arrives with him. It seems that she had left her husband to live with Agrippa. Do you feel like you’re watching a Soap Opera?
Paul gives his personal testimony about the road to Damascus. He adds that God had called him to be a missionary to the Gentiles in order to turn them from darkness to light & from Satan to God. As Paul preached, he was interrupted by old Festus saying, “Much learning was driving him mad.” Knowing Paul as we do, what would we expect him to say then?
Paul said that he was only reiterating what the Old Testament prophets had said & King Agrippa should be well aware of this. Then King Agrippa then makes his monumental statement—
Almost thou persuadest me to become a Christian.”
In this story we have three men who were almost becoming Christians. What kept them? Felix & Agrippa had wrong relationships which they weren’t willing to give up & Festus was only mildly interested.
What a sad thing to be “almost a Christian.”
Are you fully trusting the Lord Jesus Christ who bore your sins on Calvary & rose again & is able to deal with any problem you have today? You will never regret taking that step to receive Him as your Savior.
John
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