Worth Repeating - July 21, 2017

Matthew 6: 25 “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes?” (NIV)

[Worry is] calling God a liar. God promises, “I will supply all your needs . . .” But worry says, “I don’t think that’s true.”*

I am not a worrier by nature but sometimes I fret. If I’m not worrying about the problem, how will it get resolved? How do I not think about it? Where is the line between worry and it’s always on my mind? Or, where is the line between not worrying and being irresponsible?

When Jesus says, “Do not worry,” that sounds like a command. And if he commands it, it must be possible to do it. I think we get hung up on this worry business because – well, we worry too much. Nowhere does Jesus say, “Do not work,” or “Do not try to find a solution to your problem.” And don’t forget the big worry-buster: prayer.

I am a journalist. Not at a newspaper but in my prayer-life. Writing my prayers has been my daily habit for nearly 30 years. So, when I have something on my mind that looks like it might turn to worry, I ask God to help me find a solution as I am putting it on paper. I define the problem and try to be honest about how I want it to turn out. Then I start listing all the things I can do about it. Almost always, this is a very short list. When it is clear that I am powerless to solve the problem, it is much easier to let go of the worry and let God do what he does. Sometimes, my list will include something that I can do, but usually not immediately. Whether it’s because God is teaching me about waiting, or because the time isn’t right, I clearly see his hand at work.

Life is too important to be spent in worrying. We have work to do. But first, let’s pray!

One of the functions of prayer is to give us a release for our worries by communicating our concerns to God.*

Worth Repeating - July 20, 2017

Jeremiah 2: 1 The word of the Lord came to me.

Jeremiah 6: 16 This is what the Lord says . . .

Jeremiah 10: 1 Hear what the Lord says to you . . .

Jeremiah 11: 1 This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord. (NIV)

Human strength is always inadequate to do the ministry to which one is called.*

These verses are a sampling of the ways that Jeremiah introduces his prophecies and proclamations. He declares that these are God’s words, not his, establishing his authority to speak for God – and possibly distancing himself from the fallout! 

Jeremiah spoke boldly, but in spite of his authority, his words were not well-received because the message was not a popular one. But he continued to be obedient – though sometimes grudgingly. Speaking as the very mouthpiece of God,* Jeremiah’s messages are as applicable today as they were thousands of years ago. For instance: 

• “Have you not brought this on yourselves by forsaking the Lord your God when he led you in the way?” (2: 17) It’s hard to be sympathetic when a person’s problems are self-inflicted! 
• “They have turned their backs to me and not their faces, yet when they are in trouble, they say, ‘Come and save us!’” (2: 27) Is this not typical human behavior? 
• “Have you not just called to me: ‘My Father, my friend from my youth, will you always be angry? Will your wrath continue forever?’ This is how you talk, but you do all the evil you can.” (3: 4, 5) Hypocrisy talks the talk but doesn’t walk the walk. 
• “Again and again I sent all my servants the prophets to you . . . But you have not paid attention or listened to me.” (35: 15) How many sermons have you heard? How many friends have tried to hold you accountable? In a lifetime of claiming to be a Christian, how much of God’s word have you retained and applied? 

Jeremiah may appear to have been unsuccessful in his ministry; nevertheless, he remained true to his calling.* His faithfulness reminds us of some important truths: 

1. Speakers of the truth are not always popular. 

2. Speakers of the truth don’t always see positive results. 

3. Speakers of the truth must keep on speaking the truth. 

4. Speakers of the truth must be surrendered to God in order to speak with authority and love.

Finally, we learn from Jeremiah’s experience that God will do what he says he will do. Whether promises or threats, his Word is true.

How can God say no to something He has promised?*

Worth Repeating - July 19, 2017

I Corinthians 2: 4, 5 My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, so that your faith might not rest on man’s wisdom, but on God’s power. (NIV)

Is the struggle to share our faith a product of insufficient theological information . . . or insufficient experience with the transforming reality of Christ?*

The thought of witnessing to our friends and families gives us stage fright. We don’t know all our lines so we don’t deliver any of them. What if they ask me something about Revelations? What if I forget one of the steps in the plan of salvation? What if I don’t know what the Pentateuch is?

I am certain that when it comes to stage presence, Paul was the best. I would not discount the need for a preacher to be good at what he does, but even Paul would tell you that eloquence and knowledge aren’t what makes us effective witnesses. It is experience in the Holy Spirit’s power that gives us something to show and tell.

Do you want to be an effective witness? Then you need an effective testimony. I’m not talking about a dramatic lifestory about how you wandered far from God and how you found your way back. Your experience with God may be quiet and outwardly uneventful, but you can’t encounter God without having something to show for it. If he hasn’t changed you, you haven’t met him. Get into his Word and get to know him. Then you will have a story worth sharing. A story that demonstrates the Spirit’s power.

The gospel is embedded in lives and personal testimonies.*

Worth Repeating - July 18, 2017

Galatians 6: 10 Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers. (NIV)

When we evaluate ourselves against the New Testament example, we find much of what we call “community life” in the church today is still far from what Scripture calls us to do.*

Our mission as Christians is to seek and save the lost. We know that in order to do our job, we have to have contact with nonbelievers. We are criticized (and rightly so) if we just hunker down in our church buildings, taking refuge from the dangerous, cruel world; but I wouldn’t be surprised to learn that the New Testament speaks more about how to live a Christian life and how to get along with our brothers and sisters than it does about evangelism.

Orphans who dream of being adopted don’t fantasize about joining a family of squabblers and back-stabbers. Why would anyone be attracted to the Christian life if we don’t treat each other with love and respect? If we are treating our family like family should be treated, wouldn’t you expect that goodwill to spill over into our treatment of everyone? “Charity starts at home” could be used as an excuse for selfishness and isolation but “start” implies further movement. Start by doing good to your family of believers; move on to doing good to all people.

Church buildings are where most Christians today learned about God, gave their lives to Christ, were nurtured by a faith community, and were ministered to in their darkest time of life.*

Worth Repeating - July 17, 2017

Luke 22: 31, 32 “Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your 

faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.” (NIV)

God allows spiritual warfare and uses it in our lives for our good.*

If you will take a moment and read Job 1: 6-12, you will note some interesting similarities between Job and Peter (Simon): 

· God and Satan had a conversation about both of them. 

· There is no indication that either of them was aware that he was the topic of discussion in the spirit realm – until Jesus’ revelation to Peter here in these words recorded in Luke. 

· God championed Job and Jesus prayed for Peter. 

· God knew that Job would stand firm; Jesus knew that Peter would fail but that he would make a remarkable comeback. 

We can surmise from these two accounts that Satan knew what these men meant to the Kingdom of God. Job’s faithfulness was a testimony to his community, and Peter’s potential was powerful. What a coup it would have been for the evil one to cause these men to fall away. I imagine that he did a little victory dance when Peter denied Jesus, but his celebration was a short one. 

Satan has power in this world but it is limited in scope and time. Have you ever wondered if you were a big enough threat to the prince of darkness that he would approach God for permission to use his big guns on you? Does the devil see your potential and quiver? Or does he shrug and move on to more dangerous prey? 

When it seems that you are under attack, perhaps you are. Maybe God and Satan have had a little chat about you and God said, “I dare you.” It is fitting that Peter would be the one to remind us that for a little while we may suffer grief in all kinds of trials but we should rejoice because we are shielded by God’s power. (I Peter 1: 3-7)

Satan may be limited in his capacity . . . [b]ut he is not powerless nor asleep!*

Worth Repeating - July 16, 2017

Isaiah 49: 4 But I said, “I have labored to no purpose; I have spent my strength in vain and for nothing. Yet what is due is in the Lord’s hand, and my reward is with my God.” (NIV)

To focus on being faithful is a bit different from a focus on being successful.*

Poor Isaiah. He was serving exactly where God wanted him. There was no question that he was fulfilling his ministry – his calling. And yet he despaired over his lack of results. He didn’t know if the seeds he had planted would ever bear fruit. Paul reminds us in I Corinthians 15: 58, “Always give yourself fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.” Many Christians work hard in the fields of the Lord with very little to show for it, but as John Calvin said, the results are “not always visible to the eyes of men.” Someone else observes that despondency arises when we listen to ourselves instead of looking to God as our source of power.*

This verse in Isaiah is remarkable for two reasons: 1) Isaiah is not afraid to speak his mind to God; and 2) God’s answer follows immediately behind his complaint. If you could take a peek at one of my prayer journals, you would find many entries that sound just like this. Before the ink has dried on my whining, God’s answer flows right out of my pen onto the paper, showing me how shallow my faith can be.

To Isaiah, God reveals that everything is in his hands – and what else does Isaiah – or we – need to know? 

Who we are is often defined by our greatest disappointments.*

Worth Repeating - July 15, 2017

Matthew 3: 13-15 Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John. But John tried to deter him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” Jesus replied, “Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness.” Then John consented. (NIV)

Christ’s baptism might create misunderstanding, just as His associating with publicans and sinners did. He was content to be misunderstood.*

According to the apostle John in chapter 1, verse 33 of his gospel, John the Baptist was not surprised to see Jesus coming to him for his services. So we probably shouldn’t read this as John the Baptist’s attempt to talk Jesus out of being baptized, but perhaps as a sign of the man’s humility and his recognition that Jesus wasn’t just his cousin.

There is nothing in the New Testament to indicate any significance to the role of baptizer. Jesus could have quietly had his baptism conducted by one of his disciples, but he needed to make a point and John provided a very public platform from which to deliver his message.

When we present ourselves to be baptized, we confess our sinfulness and repent from it. Jesus had no sin so he had no need for confession or repentance. We are baptized for the washing away of our sins; Jesus was already clean, but he submitted to baptism the same way he submitted to every command of his Father.

As observed by another writer, Jesus’ purpose was to be the sacrifice for our sin, and not so much to be an example of how to live a sinless life. The “crucial aspects” of his life, this writer claims, “are unique about him” and we cannot imitate them.* Jesus’ baptism is not one of those things that we are unable to imitate. He was baptized to “fulfill all righteousness.” If he had to do it, why shouldn’t I?

It is indeed correct to say that baptism is a washing away of sins, but the expression is too weak and mild to bring out the full significance of baptism which is rather a symbol of death and resurrection. For this reason I would have those who are to be baptized completely immersed in water as the Word says, and as the mystery indicates.*