Worth Repeating - April 20, 2017

Romans 1: 12  . . . that you and I may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith. (NIV)

Nothing surpasses the joy of a spiritual friendship . . . little compares with spiritual friends.*

I facilitate a weekly small group Bible study for women. There is something about the dynamics of the group that allows women to feel safe and comfortable – so much so, that many have “spilled their guts” the very first time they joined us. At first, while I was thrilled that we were able to provide such a ministry to hurting women, I held myself aloof because I didn’t have any need to unload – I preferred to take my burdens to the Lord. Many years before, I had gone through a period of testing in which the Lord taught me that he was all I needed. For whatever reason, he withheld the blessing of friendships from me until in my heart I no longer needed them.

But God is never finished with us! After teaching me that I didn’t “need” other people, God began to reveal to me that others needed for me to need them! Even though some women were willing to share their personal concerns with the group, there were others who weren’t so comfortable until after I became transparent with them. When they saw that their leader wasn’t afraid to share her concerns, they began to feel safe in opening up as well. And now we are mutually encouraged by each other’s faith!

If God is sending hurting people to you, maybe it’s because you have been where they are – and they need to know how God led you through your struggles. Let your experience be your testimony.

When we combine the counsel of trusted friends with our own reading of Scripture and connection to a church community, we are refusing insular thinking, accepting correction, and opening ourselves to growth.*

Worth Repeating - April 19, 2017

Acts 1: 3, 7, 8 After his suffering, he showed himself to these men and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God.  . . .  He said to them: . . . “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” (NIV)

Speaking what one has seen and heard is the essence of witnessing.*

In the movie, Weekend at Bernie’s, two losers are invited for a fun weekend at their boss’s mansion, only to find him dead. Refusing to let a little thing like a dead host spoil their fun, they manage to prop up Bernie’s body so that he appears to be participating in and enjoying their weekend activities.

Jesus’ followers were not like those two guys. Jesus was not a dead boss but a living Savior. They saw him, touched him, spoke to him and listened to him – all after his crucifixion and resurrection. There is as much proof that he is alive again as there is that any other historical figure lived at all.

How do you know that Alexander the Great created one of the largest empires of the ancient world, from Greece to Egypt, to India and Pakistan; and that he was undefeated in battle and is considered one of history’s most successful military commanders? I know it because I read it in Wikipedia. The people at Wikipedia know it because they consulted sources who saw him, touched him, spoke to him and listened to him. The difference is, although Alexander is considered to be one of the most influential people in human history, once he died, his followers were unable to maintain his quest to reach the ends of the world.* Jesus’ followers, in contrast, not only spread his kingdom to the ends of the earth but have kept it alive and vibrant for more than 2,000 years. That kind of campaign can’t be sustained with a dead leader who has to be propped up by his disciples. A dead king could not inspire his subjects to endure persecution and torture for the sake of the kingdom.

And a dead king cannot leave his Holy Spirit to empower his followers to reach the world with his message of hope and salvation. Accept the testimony of the eyewitnesses. Believe the testimony of the Holy Spirit. We serve a risen Savior! He has made us victorious!

Our Lord’s resurrection is not merely an historical event; it is a history-making event.*

Worth Repeating - April 18, 2017

Acts 1: 4 “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about.” (NIV)

We sometimes find it hard to believe that time spent in waiting is not wasted.*

Lost souls are like people caught in a house fire: they need to be rescued. Most Christians, however, tend to think of the lost as if they are in a house that might catch fire sometime in the future. “Wait until the fire starts, then we’ll rescue them,” we think. We don’t feel the urgency because we don’t see the fire.

In this passage in Acts, the resurrected Jesus was meeting with his apostles. They surely felt the urgency to get out of their training seminar and get busy saving the world. They could see that the house was in flames. But here is Jesus telling them to wait. For these men who understood the urgency of the mission, waiting had to be the last thing they expected Jesus to command them to do.

Why did they have to wait? So they would be properly equipped. A fireman doesn’t rush into that burning house without the right equipment. A few moments of preparation could make all the difference for those he is about to rescue. If he’s not ready, he will probably fail and die along with those in the house. Jesus didn’t want his followers to rush out into the world before they had everything they needed. Their training was nearly complete; it only remained for them to wait for that final piece of necessary life-saving equipment: the Holy Spirit. The one Jesus promised would teach them all things and remind them of everything he had told them (John 14: 26). Their fire-fighting gear!

How long would they have to wait? A few days, he said. Can’t you just sense the impatience of his listeners? A few days! Couldn’t you be a little more specific? Waiting may test our faith more than anything else we will ever face. We see the need; we’re chomping at the bit; time’s a’wastin’ and he wants us to wait! That’s the thing about spiritual warfare. We don’t know what is happening beyond the realm of our senses but God does. So we have to wait until he says, “Go.” You may see that house ablaze but perhaps God has another fireman in mind for that one. Perhaps he is preparing you to fight a fire that hasn’t started yet. All we know is that when Jesus says to wait, we wait. 

Have you prayed and prayed, and waited and waited, and still you see no evidence of an answer? . . . Instead of thinking of waiting as being wasted time, realize that God is preparing his resources and strengthening you as well.*

Worth Repeating - April 17, 2017

John 14: 2 “And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you may also be where I am.” (NIV)

It is the Lord Jesus’ only unfulfilled promise.*

Jesus’ disciples were still a little fuzzy on the concept of Jesus’ leaving. Now he’s promising them that he will come back for them. For us, accepting and expecting his return are components of our faith in his resurrection, but we, too, find ourselves wondering about our Lord’s return. 

While much about the Second Coming is shrouded in mystery and symbolism, there are certain aspects that we can be sure about. 

1. He is definitely coming back. In this verse and in Matthew 24: 30, we read of Jesus’ pledge to return. 

2. Jesus will return at God’s appointed time. No one else knows when that is. (Matthew 24: 36; Acts 1: 7) 

3. Our job is to proclaim the hope and the promise. (Matthew 28: 20; Acts 1: 8) 

4. We should look forward to his return. (Matthew 24: 44) 

Jesus knew that we wouldn’t understand everything he said but he has made it clear that he wants us to be with him – he told his Father: “I want those you have given me to be with me where I am.” (John 17: 24) So of course he’s going to come back and get us!

God has chosen the right time for Christ’s second coming without any reference to clocks and calendars.*

Worth Repeating - April 16, 2017

John 20: 18 Mary Magdalene went to the disciples with the news: “I have seen the Lord!” And she told them that he had said these things to her. (NIV)

There are times in a person’s life when, even in the midst of them, you know you’ll never be the same.*

We were rehearing our church Easter drama and the director was trying to get the actors to portray the proper demeanor for someone who had just seen the risen Savior. What would that look like, I wondered. How would I act if I saw Jesus alive, three days after I had watched him die? We usually think we know how we would react in a situation – until we are faced with it, then we often surprise ourselves. It can be a moment of truth about our character. 

Are we appropriately impressed with the miracle of Jesus’ resurrection? Wouldn’t it be great if we felt the same awe and wonder as if we had been there that morning? How much more effective our witness would be if we could say, “I have seen the Lord!” with the same breathless joy as Mary Magdalene.

Our Lord’s resurrection is not merely an historical event; it is a history-making event.*

Worth Repeating - April 15, 2017

John 19: 38, 39 Later, Joseph of Arimathea asked Pilate for the body of Jesus. Now Joseph was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly because he feared the Jews. . . . He was accompanied by Nicodemus, the man who earlier had visited Jesus at night. (NIV)

All of God’s giants have been weak people.*

This story is included in all four gospels, each writer giving it his own twist. Matthew gives us “just the facts.” Mark includes a helpful adverb, informing us that Joseph went boldly to Pilate to ask for Jesus’ body. Luke adds some information the others don’t include: Joseph was a member of the Council but he had not consented to their decision and action concerning Jesus. But it is John who gives us the most intriguing version of the event. 

It is from John that we learn that Joseph was a secret but fearful disciple of Jesus; and that his partner in his new bold adventure is none other than Nicodemus, he who had once requested a clandestine audience with Jesus and went away sad. It was a gracious and brave gesture to provide a proper funeral for Jesus – and to fulfill prophecy – but Jesus is dead and apparently his cause along with him.* Why come forward now? None of the disciples who had been faithful to Jesus in life seemed to understand that his death was not the end; are we to believe that these two covert followers did? 

Church history paints Joseph and Nicodemus as heroes. We don’t know the consequences of their kindness but it is possible they paid a high price for their actions. Call me cynical, but I think Jesus’ enemies just shrugged and looked the other way. They thought they had won. As for our heroes’ sudden bravery – well, a dead revolutionary can’t ask any more of you, so they were free to go back to their rich and powerful lives. They remind me of those people who neglect their family members in life but show up at the funeral to mourn. 

Here is what I learn from Joseph and Nicodemus: Give people a break! These men may have been slow in showing their faith in Jesus. They may or may not have had pure motives. But they finally did the right thing. As one commentator observes, “The heroism of faith is usually kindled by desperate circumstances.”* We should not condemn others just because they are in a different place in their Christian walk than we are. I look at these two heroes and ask myself, “Did they love Jesus?” and realize that whatever progress an individual has made in his spiritual growth, a person who loves Jesus is on the right path.

Instead of being fishers of the lost, we become critics of the saved.*

Worth Repeating - April 14, 2017

John 19: 10 “Do you refuse to speak to me?” Pilate said. “Don’t you realize I have power either to free you or to crucify you?” (NIV)

He was no passive victim of circumstances.*

Pilate might have felt that he had the power of life and death over Jesus but he was so wrong. What was he expecting from Jesus in response? Did he think Jesus was going to beg for mercy? Offer him a bribe? Curse him, perhaps. Instead, Jesus calmly put Pilate in his place. “You would have no power over me if it were not given to you from above,” he said (verse 11).

Jesus did not deny that Pilate had earthly authority over him. He could set Jesus free or he could order him to be crucified. Because it was necessary to fulfill God’s plan, Pilate was allowed to exercise his authority over Jesus’ life and death. The same power that permitted Pilate to act is the same power that could have swooped in and rescued Jesus from the ordeal ahead.

Sometimes we are overpowered by circumstances or authorities. Can we meet them with the same calmness and assurance that Jesus did? Are we willing to endure whatever we must in order to bring glory to God? Do we know, without a doubt, that God is standing trial with us; that he could deliver us if it fulfilled his plan; and that he will empower us to stand firm in the face of our adversity? Jesus showed us how it was done when he did it for us.

God overrules in the affairs of ordinary men and women as He works out His eternal purposes in the redemption of mankind.*